The Senior Special Assistant on Publicity and Communications to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Lere Olayinka, has defended Nyesom Wike’s actions during Tuesday’s confrontation with a naval officer in Abuja, describing the incident as the fallout of a land scam that deceived a retired naval chief.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, Olayinka explained that the disputed land, located in Mabushi, was originally allocated in 2007 to a private firm, Santos Estate Limited, strictly for park and recreation purposes not for residential or commercial development.
“That particular land was allocated to a company in 2007 for park and recreation. The company didn’t develop it because it’s a parkway, a walkway, you don’t build there,” he said.
According to Olayinka, in 2022, the company sought to convert the land for commercial use, but the then FCT minister rejected the request. Despite this, the company allegedly partitioned and sold parts of the land to private individuals, including former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo (retd).
“Probably expecting that the change of use would be approved, the company went ahead to partition and sell the land to different people, including the former naval chief,” Olayinka stated.
He accused the retired officer of attempting to use military influence to assert ownership over the land, instead of addressing the matter legally.
“The former naval chief was scammed. Instead of seeking redress, he resorted to using military might,” Olayinka said. “After selling land meant for park and recreation to private buyers, who should be held responsible, the government or the person who sold the land?”
Olayinka further clarified that the disputed plot falls within an area of Mabushi reserved for public and corporate buildings, not private housing. He added that Gambo neither possesses a valid title nor an approved building plan for the property.
“As of today, Vice Admiral Gambo does not have a title document for that land,” he asserted. “And even if he did, he would still need an approved building plan before starting any development. Nigerians should ask him if he ever took such a plan to development control and if it was approved.”
The aide’s comments came after a video of Minister Wike confronting naval personnel guarding the disputed property went viral, sparking widespread debate over land ownership, abuse of power, and the role of the military in civil matters within the FCT.
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