Alleged land grabbing: Wike’s aide challenges critics to provide evidence

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Wednesday challenged those using social media to circulate falsehoods about their lands being grabbed by the FCTA to provide genuine evidence that they owned such land.

Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant (SSA), on Public Communications and New Media to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, cautioned self-appointed social media activists to be mindful of being used to promote false claims.

Olayinka in a statement said: “The most reasonable thing for anyone to do is to find out from both sides before going public with any issue”.

Referring to a recent video being circulated on a land located Life Camp, particularly Plot No. 2241, Gwarimpa District, Cadastral Zone C02, Abuja, the FCT Minister’s Spokesperson challenged those claiming ownership of the land to provide Right of Occupancy or Certificate of Occupancy granted by the FCTA.

He said: “A construction company, Paulosa Nigeria Limited occupied the land as a temporary office, under a Temporary Right of Occupancy arrangement granted in 1984 (40 years ago).

“For 36 years, the company occupied the land, built permanent structures on it and rented them out without any approval from the government.

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

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

“Some of the terms and conditions are; payment of Ground Rent Per Square Meter Per Annum, which was N50K/m² from 2022 to 2023, amounting to N2,332,143; payment of Premium of N500/m², amounting to N11,660,715 and payment of Ground Rent from 1984 to 2021 (37 years), amounting to N43,144,645.

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

“Consequent upon the failure of Paulosa Nigeria Limited to comply with the terms and conditions for approval granted for a Right of Occupancy on the said land, the approval was revoked on October 10, 2024, more than 20 months after it was given.

“For instance, if a student who was offered an admission to a university, refused to pay the fees stipulated in the offer of admission, and fulfil other terms and conditions for the admission, can the student have any claim to the studentship of the university?”

While counseling those who are desirous of doing human rights activism to be mindful of being used to peddle falsehood, Olayinka said: “My advice to our social media emergency human rights advocates is that they should always endeavor to investigate claims by whoever that is seeking their service.

“For instance, if the person who took his time to do that video had taken a simple step of investigating further, he would have been well informed, such that he won’t be used to mislead the public.

“The other time, a certain character who went to school at night to study Baseless Black-market Law, was on social media, ranting that the FCT Minister grabbed someone’s land.

“If he had studied law properly, he would have taken the proper step of approaching relevant government agencies for information on the said land.

“Our online lawyer would have been properly schooled that when you get allocation for a recreation park, building a school and a church on the land is a clear contravention of the condition for which the land was allocated.”