Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike, has vowed that neither his children nor any well-connected individual will receive special treatment in Abuja’s land allocation under his watch.
Wike, who spoke during a live media chat in Abuja on Thursday, dismissed what he called “malicious rumours” that his family is cornering land in the capital city, insisting that only due process will decide who gets land — not political influence or family ties.
“If my own children apply for land today, they will not get it just because they bear my name. They must follow due process like everyone else. Nobody is entitled to free land in Abuja because they know the Minister,” Wike declared.
He accused vested interests behind illegal land rackets of sponsoring false stories to distract him from cleaning up the FCT’s notorious land sector.
“People apply for land claiming they want to farm or build. Instead, they sit on it for years, speculating and selling it off at huge profits while Abuja’s development suffers. That era is over. Use the land for what it was given — or we’ll revoke it. It’s that simple,” he said.
The Minister revealed he has turned down several dubious land requests brought to his office by powerful figures.
“When you say no to them, they go around cooking stories, blackmailing you. But we won’t be distracted. We are here to sanitize Abuja’s land administration, no matter whose ox is gored,” he added.
Wike called on journalists and the public to reject conspiracy theories and support genuine reforms that will protect Abuja’s long-term growth.
“We have about 2,000 hectares of land to manage responsibly — not for people to grab, hoard, and resell while real investors and the people lose out,” he said.
He assured credible investors of a transparent process and warned that abandoned plots would no longer be tolerated.
“If you want land to build, farm, or invest, you’re welcome — but if you think you’ll use connections to take plots and do nothing with them, you’ll be disappointed,” Wike stated.
He urged the media to help hold the system to account and steer the national conversation towards meaningful issues.
“Abuja’s real needs are infrastructure, jobs, and security not cheap talk about land for my children. That will never happen. Let’s focus on what will move the capital forward,” Wike concluded.
