The minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said emotional appeals will not influence government decisions on the redevelopment of Jabi Lake, insisting that land use in Abuja must follow due process and public interest.
Wike spoke on Wednesday in response to a plea by the senior pastor of Family Worship Centre, Sarah Omakwu, who had urged him not to allocate the Jabi Lake recreation area for private development.
Vanguard reported that Omakwu had, in a video shared on Instagram, appealed on her knees, asking the minister not to hand over the facility to private interests.
Responding, Wike explained that his administration inherited a poorly managed arrangement at the lake, where a company held the land for over 15 years without meaningful development.
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"You talk about the woman kneeling down and begging. I'm not carried away by such emotions. Begging to do what? Who owns Jabi Lake?
"How does it become your own? First of all, I came on board; that place was given to a company that said they wanted to turn it into an entertainment place, but they have turned it into shanties.
"One of these days I went there and said, 'This can't be; there is a hotel, and who would come to stay in that hotel when there are shanties all over?' You don't know if there are criminals."
He stated that the allocation had been revoked and would be reassigned to investors with the capacity to develop the site, adding that strict conditions would guide the new arrangement.
"You cannot allocate land and leave it for that long with nothing to show. We revoked it. Now we want to give it to people who are ready to develop it," Wike said.
"We will reallocate the land with clear conditions. If there is no development within the specified time, we will take it back," Wike said.
The minister stressed that the land belongs to the government and must serve the collective interest, dismissing claims of personal ownership.
He said, "To the woman who was crying, if she likes, let her call God to come down. What is my business? How does Jabi become hers? Is it an individual or government property?
"We are trying to make sure investors develop this land for the interest of all of us," he stated.
He also cited a case where a cleric allegedly built a church on land designated for recreational use, saying such violations would not be tolerated.
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"You cannot build where you are not supposed to and expect sympathy," he added.
