BREAKING: Provide Evidence of Ownership: Wike’s Aide Challenges Those Accusing Minister of Land Grabbing

Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has urged individuals spreading falsehoods on social media about their lands being seized by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to produce legitimate proof of ownership.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Olayinka cautioned self-appointed social media activists to be wary of inadvertently promoting misinformation. He stated, “The most sensible course of action for anyone is to seek information from both sides before making any public claims.”

Referring to a recent video circulating about a plot of land located in Life Camp, specifically Plot No. 2241, Gwarimpa District, Cadastral Zone C02, Abuja, the FCT Minister’s spokesperson challenged those asserting ownership of the land to present their Right of Occupancy or Certificate of Occupancy issued by the FCTA.

Olayinka explained, “A construction company, Paulosa Nigeria Limited, occupied the land as a temporary office under a Temporary Right of Occupancy granted in 1984—40 years ago.

“For 36 years, the company occupied the land, constructed permanent structures, and rented them out without any governmental approval.

“On November 18, 2020, after 36 years of occupancy without approval, Paulosa Nigeria Limited applied to the then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory for the conversion of the Temporary Right of Occupancy into a Statutory Right of Occupancy.

“On February 1, 2023, approval was granted to Paulosa Nigeria Limited for a Statutory Right of Occupancy, subject to specific terms and conditions.

“These terms included the payment of Ground Rent Per Square Meter Per Annum, set at N50K/m² from 2022 to 2023, totalling N2,332,143; a Premium fee of N500/m², amounting to N11,660,715; and Ground Rent for the period from 1984 to 2021 (37 years), totalling N43,144,645.

“However, for 20 months, Paulosa Nigeria Limited failed to comply with the stipulated terms and conditions of the approval.

“As a result of this non-compliance, the approval was revoked on October 10, 2024, over 20 months after it was granted.

“Clearly, it should be evident that Paulosa Nigeria Limited never actually owned the land.

“To illustrate, if a student is offered admission to a university but fails to pay the required fees and fulfil the other terms and conditions, can that student rightfully claim to be a student of the university?”

While advising those engaged in human rights activism to be cautious about being used to promote falsehoods, Olayinka added, “I recommend that our social media-based human rights advocates conduct thorough investigations into any claims made by those seeking their assistance.

“For instance, had the individual who produced that video taken the simple step of investigating further, he would have been better informed and not misled the public.

“Previously, an individual who claimed to have studied Baseless Black-market Law was on social media asserting that the FCT Minister had seized someone’s land.

“Had this person properly studied law, he would have sought information from relevant government agencies concerning the land in question.

“Our self-proclaimed lawyer would have learned that obtaining an allocation for a recreational park while constructing a school and a church on that land clearly contravenes the conditions under which it was allocated.”