Dare Babalola
Channels Television has dismissed claims by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, regarding the ownership of the land on which its national headquarters stands in Abuja, insisting that the property was legally allocated and fully paid for.
Wike had, during a media chat on Wednesday, questioned the allocation of the plot located in Guzape, alleging that the television station was profiting from public property given to it by the government.
“The land that you built Channels on is public land,” Wike said. “You are making money out of the public property. Did you buy it? No. It was allocated to you.”
He also defended payments made for the live broadcast of the media chat, saying such media coverage does not come free.
“Am I not going to pay for a live interview? It is not free,” the minister added.
However, responding during its Thursday broadcast, Channels Television described the minister’s comments as inaccurate.
“It is not correct. The property which houses our national headquarters in the Guzape area of Abuja was allocated to CTV on March 6, 2007, for commercial purposes by the then FCT minister,” the station said.
“We can confirm that all required fees and charges were fully paid.”
The broadcaster also justified payments received for airing the minister’s media chat, explaining that live transmissions require the use of outside broadcasting vans, technical personnel, and dedicated airtime resources.
“Our fees are out there. We are a news and broadcast media organisation. So, if you are going to lock down one, two, or three hours of airtime, of course you will pay,” the statement added.
Channels Television further stated that it would continue to ask “the right questions” while maintaining the trust and credibility it has built over the past three decades.
The media organisation also called on the FCT minister to provide full clarification on allegations concerning lands allocated to journalists, stressing that any fees attached to such allocations should be properly settled.
