Last Christmas, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), dared Nigerians to produce evidence after he was accused of seizing lands from ordinary citizens for himself and close allies, under the guise of reclaiming dormant allocations.
But recent revelations suggest the Minister of the FCT may have had something to hide all along, brushing off the allegations with the confidence of someone who didn’t expect to be held accountable.
Peoples Gazette is currently examining a large cache of Abuja land allocation documents signed by Wike since he took office in August 2023. Initial findings reveal a troubling pattern: the minister appeared to favour land allotments to members of his immediate family, ignoring federal rules that forbid using public office for personal gain.
Though existing land laws do not explicitly bar a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory from allocating land to family members, the scope and scale of allocations Nyesom Wike approved for his son raise serious ethical and legal concerns, according to two officials in his office.
Documents reviewed show that Mr Wike did not pay the required ground rent, title registration, or survey fees for the lands in question—actions that violate the Code of Conduct for public officers outlined in the Fifth Schedule of the Nigerian Constitution.
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Joaquin Wike, the younger of the minister’s two sons, reportedly received at least 2,000 hectares—equivalent to 40,000 plots—spread across prime areas in Abuja, including Maitama, Asokoro, and Guzape.
Officials estimate the total value of these allocations, which were issued with certificates of occupancy, to be over $3.6 billion. In Maitama and Asokoro alone, where Joaquin received at least seven hectares, plots have recently sold for as high as $1.28 million and $1.4 million, respectively.
Sources say Wike’s actions were so blatant that when aides urged him to slow down, he dismissed their concerns, allegedly stating he wanted his children to become the largest landowners in Nigeria’s capital.
“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,” an aide said, discussing the minister’s conduct under anonymity. “We’ve worked with ministers before him, but we have never seen anything even remotely comparable to this.”
Many of the land allocations traced to Nyesom Wike are located in emerging areas like Kwaita, Bwari, and Gaduwa—locations sources say the minister deliberately targeted for their strong medium- to long-term commercial potential.
While the exact timeline of the scheme remains unclear, documents reviewed by The Gazette indicate that Mr Wike began awarding land to his son, Joaquin, shortly after the registration of a company named after him in October 2024.
The firm, Joaq Farms and Estates Ltd, was registered on October 10, 2024. Just seven days later—on October 17—Mr Wike allocated 350 hectares of land to the company under file number 155882 and certificate of occupancy number 0000162.
The company listed its address as 13 Thaba Tseka Street, Wuse II, although “Thaba” was misspelt as “Theba” in the official documents. The Gazette found that this address has long been linked to Mr Wike and several of his known proxies in the capital.
On February 25, 2025, Mr Wike approved at least six 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 and 159140. While The Gazette could not obtain file 159135, officials said its allocation also went to Joaq Farms.
As recently as May 30, Mr Wike personally signed the allocation of about 2.3 hectares for his son in Gaduwa District, where development has intensified in recent years.
The minister also seized land in the Central Area that was previously granted to the Austrian mission in Nigeria, reallocating the lucrative assets to himself.
The Gazette’s review showed Mr Wike allocated roughly 2,082 hectares to Joaq Farms between October 2024 and May 2025. Officials stated that Mr Wike approved more than 3,500 hectares for his son, but they were unable to provide the documents before this publication.
Officials said Joaquin can easily earn more than $3.6 billion on the assets, emphasising this was a conservative estimate.
“He has certificates of occupancy for all the lands, that’s what makes it even more lucrative,” an official said. The officials spoke under anonymity to avoid being targeted by Mr Wike, who’s an infamous alcoholic with a documented history of violence.
Officials stated that the minister has prioritised acquiring as many assets as possible, despite failing to pay the salaries of municipal employees.
Several departments under the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, have gone several months without pay, including those attached to its broadcasting, environmental protection and water bureaus.
Little is known about the younger Wike, as he has kept a low profile since finishing high school in September 2020. However, in recent months, he has become a regular feature of his father’s public appearances, often alongside his elder brother, Jordan.
Mr Wike, who was Rivers’ governor from 2015 to 2019, said he was grooming his children to take over his political structure. He was sworn in as minister on August 21, 2023, after allegedly sabotaging his party, the PDP, to help President Bola Tinubu eke out a victory in the February 2023 presidential election.
Despite serving in President Bola Tinubu’s APC-led cabinet, Nyesom Wike has refused to resign from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), often leveraging his federal position to stir internal conflicts within the party.
The Gazette has also uncovered that at least five plots—part of the 2.3 hectares allocated to Wike’s son—were taken from a middle-class family. The family declined to speak on the matter, fearing further retaliation from the minister, even in relation to the new property they have since relocated to.
When contacted, a spokesperson for Mr Wike claimed no knowledge of the minister using his office to pursue personal enrichment.
“I am not aware of any development as such and can’t give comments on what I don’t have knowledge of,” Lere Olayinka said, declining to elaborate or say whether or not he had discussed the matter with his principal.
How much the president knew about Mr Wike’s reckless looting of lands across the federal capital remained unclear. A State House source said Mr Wike’s behaviour had raised severe concern for the administration, but there was no clear way of dealing with him yet.
“Let me be honest with you and tell you that Nyesom Wike is a serious liability to the Tinubu administration,” an aide to the president said. “While we’re focused on tackling the economy and insecurity, he’s busy seizing lands from Abuja residents and reallocating them to himself.”
The official said the president might not have the courage to deal with Mr Wike anytime soon, especially as he wouldn’t want to create a fissure within his ranks amidst a looming general election.
“The president would eventually have to decide on what to do with the minister,” the official said. “But predicting whether that is going to be before or after the election is beyond my service charge.”
Under existing laws, Mr Tinubu is the custodian of all lands across the Nigerian capital. At the same time, the minister, appointed by the president, acts as the administrator executing the president’s priorities for the territory.
Anti-corruption campaigner Patience Okonkwo said Mr Wike’s action should trigger an immediate and expansive probe of land administration under his watch.
“If I can speak on the documents I am seeing here, then I’d say this is unconscionable,” Mrs Okonkwo said after being shown the files by The Gazette. “This takes public graft to a new level, and consequences should be severe in a serious country.”
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