Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has been accused of land grabbing, but his aide, Lere Olayinka, is fighting back.
Olayinka has challenged those making the allegations to provide proof of ownership, specifically a certificate of occupancy granted by the FCTA.
The controversy surrounds a plot of land in the Life Camp area of the FCT, which a construction company, Paulosa Nigeria Limited, has occupied since 1984.
The company built permanent structures on the land and rented them out without government approval.
In 2020, the company applied to convert its temporary right of occupancy to a statutory one.
The application was approved in 2023, subject to certain terms and conditions, including payment of ground rent and premiums totaling over N57 million.
However, according to Nyesom Wike, Paulosa Nigeria Limited failed to comply with these terms, leading to the revocation of the approval in October 2024.
Olayinka while defending Minister Nyesom Wike argued that the company never legally owned the land and compared the situation to a student failing to fulfill admission requirements.
Olayinka also cautioned social media activists to verify facts before making claims, saying,
“The most reasonable thing for anyone to do is to find out from both sides before going public with any issue”.
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