Dare Babalola
Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Publicity and Communications to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has defended the minister’s actions in a confrontation with a naval officer in Abuja.
The aide explained that the issue arose from a land scam involving a former naval chief who was allegedly scammed.
In an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday, Olayinka said the land was allocated for park and recreation purposes in 2007, and not for residential or commercial development.
“That particular land was allocated to a company in 2007, Santos Estate Limited, for park and recreation.
“The company did not do anything on the land because that place is a parkway, it’s a walkway, it’s a road corridor. You don’t build there,” Olayinka said.
Olayinka stated that the company applied for a change of land use from park to commercial in 2022, but the FCT Administration rejected the request.
“In 2022, the minister of FCT declined that request. Wike was not the minister then,” he noted.
The media aide alleged that despite the rejection, the company went ahead to illegally subdivide the land and sell it to private individuals, including a former Chief of Naval Staff.
“Probably in anticipation of the minister’s approval for conversion, the man decided to partition the land, a land allocated to him for park and recreation.
“He now partitioned the land and sold it to people, including the former Chief of Naval Staff,” he explained.
The aide, however, faulted the retired naval officer’s response, alleging that he attempted to use military influence to assert ownership over the land.
“That is why I want to say that the Chief of Naval Staff was scammed. He has realised that he was scammed. Instead of him to now come out and seek help, he resorted to use military might.
“After selling land allocated to you for park and recreation, for people to build a house, who should the Chief of Naval Staff go and hold? The person who’s claiming or the government?
“He chose not to hold the person who’s scammed, the company who’s scammed,” he added.
According to Olayinka, the disputed land falls within the Mabushi district, designated for public and corporate use, and not for private residential purposes. He noted that Gambo lacked valid title or approved building plans.
“Again, that particular portion has now been designated for the purpose of, you know, if you know Abuja very well, you know how Mabushi is.
“That is where you have Ministry of Works environment. That portion of the land, that pathway is for public buildings and corporate buildings, not residential, meaning that you cannot build residential house there.
“As of today, Vice Admiral Gambo does not have a document, a title document, showing that he owns the land. He does not own the land,” he added.
The aide further explained that “assuming we’re not conceding that he has title documents and he owns the land, before you begin development of a land, there are processes you must pass through.
“One of such processes is to have a building plan, building plan showing what you want to put on the land. And you take your building plan to the development control.
“The question Nigerians should ask Vice Admiral Gambo is, did he take his building plan on that land to development control? And did development control approve the building plan?”
Olayinka’s remarks came in response to the widespread reaction generated by a viral video showing Wike clashing with naval personnel guarding a property linked to the retired officer.
