In December 2024, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike responded to Nigerians who accused him of seizing land from the common man under his purported policy against dormant allocations.
Daring his accusers to back their claims with proof, Wike proceeded with the implementation of his policy without regard for whose ox was gored.
However, despite brushing the serious allegations aside and demanding evidence, new revelations by Peoples Gazette have shown that since Wike became minister in August 2023, he has prioritised allotting lands to his immediate family members.
Careful checks through the several Abuja land allocations that have been signed by Nyesom Wike show that he has repeatedly violated federal regulations against abusing public office to amass personal wealth.
Even though the legislation regarding land administration does not directly prohibit an Abuja minister from allocating a piece of land to a family member, the transactions approved by Wike for his son are way too far-reaching to ignore, according to 2 officials in Nyesom’s office
With the Peoples Gazette discovering that Wike didn’t even pay ground rent, title registration and survey fees for the assets, the minister directly contravened the code of conduct for public officers, as stated clearly in the Nigerian Constitution’s 5th Schedule.
According to the relevant documents in the Gazette’s possession and revelations from some of his officials, the minister’s youngest son, Joaquin Wike, has gotten a minimum of 2,000 hectares, or 40,000 plots, in Maitama, Asokoro, Guzape and other parts of Abuja.
The officials revealed that the hectares Wike gave to his son, along with certificates of occupancy, cost nothing less than $3.6 billion.
Documents disclosed that a plot in Maitama and Asokoro, where Mr Wike gave Joaquin at least 7 hectares in total, was recently sold for $1.28 and $1.4 million, respectively.
Nyesom was so carefree with his actions that when his own aides urged him to tread carefully, he shut down their warnings, vowing to ensure his kids are the largest landowners in Abuja.
“When we told the minister in April that he needed to slow down on frequent allocations to his own children, he said he was just starting because his goal was to make them the largest landowners in Abuja.
We’ve worked with ministers before him, but we have never seen anything even remotely comparable to this,” one of his aides said, shedding light on Wike’s improper conduct under anonymity.
The majority of the allocations are situated in developing communities like Kwaita, Bwari, and Gaduwa, locations that sources say Wike carefully picked because of their current and future commercial prospects
Even though it is still not clear when exactly the scheme started, documents have shown that Wike began to allocate the lands to his son as soon as a company named after Joaquin was registered in October 2024.
The company, Joaq Farms and Estates Ltd, was registered on October 10, 2024. Barely seven days later, on October 17, 2024, Wike allocated 350 hectares to the business through file number 155882 and certificate of occupancy number 0000162.
Listing its address as 13, Thaba Tseka Street, Wuse II, with Thaba mispelled on the documents as Theba, investigations by the Peoples Gazette team show that the address has been associated with Wike and his various fronts in Abuja for a very long time.
On the 25th of February, 2025, Wike approved nothing less than 6 certificates of occupancy for lands allocated to Joaquin across the Federal Capital Territory, according to records reviewed by The Gazette.
The documents were in file series 159134, 159136, 159137, 159138, 159139, 159140, and while The Gazette was not able to obtain file 159135, officials confirmed that its allocation also went to Joaq Farms.
Just last month, May 30th to be precise, Wike personally signed the allocation of about 2.3 hectares for his son in Gaduwa District, an area where development has been sped up in recent years.
The FCT minister also went ahead to seize a land in the Central Area that was formerly granted to the Austrian mission in Nigeria, re-transferring the lucrative assets to himself.
Further findings by The Gazette proved that Wike allocated 2,082 hectares to Joaq Farms between October 2024 and May 2025, with officials affirming that Nyesom approved over 3,500 hectares for his son, despite being unable to present the documents before this article went live.
According to the officials, Joaquin can earn as much as $3.6 billion minimum on the assets, with emphasis on that figure being a conservative estimate.
“He has certificates of occupancy for all the lands, that’s what makes it even more lucrative,” an official alleged.
The officials had their say under anonymity to avoid being persecuted by Wike, who is a chronic alcoholic notorious for easily resorting to violence.
They lamented that Wike is hell bent on acquiring as many assets as possible despite failing to pay his workers their hard-earned salaries.
Various departments under the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, have worked without pay for many months, including those who are employed at its broadcasting, environmental protection and water bureaus.
Not much is known about Joaquin as he chose a low-key life after wrapping up high school in September 2020. However, lately, he and his elder brother, Jordan, have frequently appeared alongside their dad at different public gatherings.
Recall that Wike previously said he is grooming his sons to take over his political structure after he retires.
More investigation from The Peoples Gazette revealed that at least 5 plots out of the 2.3 hectares Wike allocated to his son were seized from a middle-class family, but they decided not to comment to avoid being targeted by the minister.
Wike’s spokesman, Lere Olayinka, has denied any knowledge of his principal’s use of public office to amass family wealth.
“I am not aware of any development as such and can’t give comments on what I don’t have knowledge of,” he responded, declining to comment further or say whether or not he had discussed the matter with Wike.
How much President Tinubu knows about the inconsiderate looting of lands across the FCT is still unclear. A State House source recently said that Wike’s actions have been very concerning for the current government, but there is no clear way to handle his matter yet.
“Let me be honest with you and tell you that Nyesom Wike is a serious liability to the Tinubu administration. While we’re focused on tackling the economy and insecurity, he’s busy seizing lands from Abuja residents and reallocating them to himself,” an aide to the president disclosed.
The aide maintained that Tinubu might not be brave enough to call Wike out anytime soon because he wouldn’t want to cause disagreements within his ranks ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The president would eventually have to decide on what to do with the minister. But predicting whether that is going to be before or after the election is beyond my service charge,” the official added.
According to the existing laws, President Tinubu is the custodian of all lands across the Nigerian capital. But as a minister appointed by the president, Wike functions as the administrator executing Tinubu’s priorities for Abuja.
Anti-corruption campaigner Patience Okonkwo has since declared that Wike’s behaviour must lead to an urgent and detailed probe of land administration under his guidance.
Patience concluded by saying that the minister’s actions would attract serious punishment in any other nation.
“If I can speak on the documents I am seeing here, then I’d say this is unconscionable. This takes public graft to a new level, and consequences should be severe in a serious country,” she said after seeing the files in The Gazette’s possession.
By Peoples Gazette.
Folami David is a dynamic journalist who views the world through an analytical lens, translating complex narratives across multiple industries into compelling stories. With an insatiable appetite for information and a keen eye for emerging trends, Folami specializes in uncovering the interconnections between technology, business, culture, and society.
