Wike orders query of FCDA staff for leaking land allocated to son worth $3.6 billion against oath of secrecy

A Land Resource Officer I, Hassan Shahru Mairiga has been queried for allegedly leaking land allocation to the son of the Federal Capital Terriroty, FCT, Chief Nyesom Wike without following due process.

The letter of query was dated July 4 addressed to the whistleblower and was asked to respond within 24 hours explaining his indulgement against the oath of secrecy which he swore upon his assumption of office.

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The letter is addressed to Hassan Shahru Mairiga, “a Land Resource Officer I, alleging serious misconduct related to unauthorized disclosure of official information, breach of the oath of secrecy, and conduct unbecoming of a public officer, violating Public Service Rules (PSR).

“These actions are considered serious misconduct and a gross violation of obligations as a public servant, detrimental to the service’s image.

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Mairiga is requested to provide a written representation within 24 hours explaining why disciplinary action should not be taken, with failure to respond leading to further disciplinary measures.

On 26th June, 2025, there were media reports that the FCT Minister allegedly allocated over 2,000 hectares of Abuja’s choice land worth $3.6 billion to his son, Joaquin.

The land grab scandal was exclusively reported by the Peoples Gazette, an online investigative platform which said, the land allocation constitute power abuse for such a sprawling hectares of Abuja choice land to be allocated to a son of a Minister whose father is in office.

The report revealed that Mr Wike, the immediate former Rivers State governor, since assuming office in August 2023, signed off on over 2,000 hectares of prime real estate to his son.

It revealed that to achieve this, the minister bypassed regulations and skipped payment of critical fees, contrary to the Nigerian Constitution and civil service ethics.

The Peoples Gazette stated that these allocations span some of Abuja’s most exclusive districts, including Maitama, Asokoro, Guzape, Bwari, and Gaduwa. This amounts to roughly 2,082 hectares or about 40,000 plots, with an estimated market value of $3.6 billion.

“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 told Peoples Gazette, requesting anonymity.

“We’ve worked with ministers before him, but we have never seen anything even remotely comparable to this.”
Documents obtained by Peoples Gazette indicate that the allocations were made in the name of a company, Joaq Farms and Estates Ltd, which was registered on October 10, 2024, just days before it began receiving land allocations from Mr Wike.

On October 17, 2024, Wike allocated 350 hectares to Joaq Farms under file number 155882 and certificate of occupancy number 0000162.

The company’s registered address, 13, Thaba Tseka Street, Wuse II (misspelled in the documents as “Theba”), has long been linked to the minister’s personal business fronts, according to the report.

In further damning revelations, records show that Mr Wike personally signed six certificates of occupancy for Joaquin’s company on February 25, 2025, bearing file numbers 159134, 159136, 159137, 159138, 159139, and 159140.
A seventh file, 159135, was also said to belong to Joaq Farms but could not be obtained by the newspaper.

As recently as May 30, Wike reportedly signed off on 2.3 hectares in the booming Gaduwa District, reinforcing allegations that his son is being strategically positioned to dominate the Federal Capital Territory’s real estate wealth.

Wike also allegedly seized land from the Austrian Embassy in the Central Area, reallocating the prized plots to himself in another controversial move highlighted by Peoples Gazette.

Sources familiar with the transactions told Peoples Gazette that Wike deliberately avoided paying ground rent, registration, and survey fees, further violating the Code of Conduct for Public Officers as outlined in Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution.

Officials stated that Joaquin Wike, the minister’s youngest son who finished high school in 2020, could conservatively earn over $3.6 billion from the lands.

“He has certificates of occupancy for all the lands, that’s what makes it even more lucrative,” one official said.

The documents revealed that five plots out of the 2.3 hectares allocated in Gaduwa were forcibly taken from a middle-class Nigerian family, who refused to comment for fear of retaliation.

Despite his position, the FCT administration under Wike owes salaries across multiple departments under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), including broadcasting, water, and environmental protection units, with many workers unpaid for several months.

A spokesman for the minister, Lere Olayinka, told Peoples Gazette he was unaware of the land allocations:
“I am not aware of any development as such and can’t give comments on what I don’t have knowledge of.”
Peoples Gazette also reported that insiders in the Presidency are alarmed, but unsure how to rein in the powerful minister.

“Let me be honest with you and tell you that Nyesom Wike is a serious liability to the Tinubu administration,” a senior State House aide 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 aide admitted that President Bola Tinubu might hesitate to discipline Wike before the next general election.
“The president would eventually have to decide on what to do with the minister,” the aide noted. “But predicting whether that is going to be before or after the election is beyond my service charge.”

Meanwhile, primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been on strike since March 24, 2025, due to the non-implementation of the N70,000 national minimum wage, along with unpaid salary arrears and other allowances.

The strike has disrupted basic education across the territory, leaving pupils at home for over 90 days.
In January 23, the Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN), a civil society organisation, accused Wike of reallocating a public transport utility meant for the National Railway Station to a private entity.

TAN demanded to know how the national asset was reallocated to a private company, NY New Construction Limited, despite warnings from relevant agencies in the Federal Capital Territory Administration.

According to Comrade Michael Briggs, TAN’s National Coordinator, in a statement made available to SaharaReporters, the FCT Minister approved the grant of Statutory Right of Occupancy over plot 1398 (A00) Central Area District measuring about 5.50Ha designated as Public Transport Utility (National Railway Station) to a private company on August 30, 2024.

Briggs emphasised that plot 1398 was initially reserved for the development of the National Railway Complex, aimed at providing seamless national railway services.

The reallocation of this land to a private company raises concerns about transparency, accountability, and the potential mismanagement of public assets.

Briggs further explained that the National Railway Station in the Central Area was designed to offer top-tier railway services connecting the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with other parts of the country. The station aims to ensure a seamless transfer for passengers traveling on the National Railway to the city’s metro and bus systems.

In November 2024, human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, slammed Wike, asking him to “stop grabbing people’s land” and giving them to his cronies.

Adeyanju and Wike had engaged in a war of words following the demolition of a community by the FCT Joint Task Force and subsequently rendering of thousands of Abuja residents homeless.

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