Gbajabiamila Scandal Plot To Embarrass Tinubu, Says Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Thursday described allegations linking President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to a purported fictitious government agency as a plot to embarrass the administration.

Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja, Wike said he had known Gbajabiamila closely over the years and found it difficult to believe he was involved in directing payments through an agency that does not exist.

The minister warned against using the unproven allegations for political gain, noting that President Tinubu had directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter.

“I know the Chief of Staff very well. There are people who deliberately target key officials around the President to embarrass the government. If you want to embarrass a government, you go after the Chief of Staff or the Secretary to the Government because they are strategic offices,” Wike said.

Wike wondered why Gbajabiamila’s accuser allegedly left the country after making the claims instead of presenting evidence before investigators.

“If what he said is true, why did he run away? If you have evidence, face the security agencies. Bring your phone records, your communications and every other proof. You don’t make such weighty allegations and then flee. That doesn’t make sense,” he stated.

The minister dismissed calls by opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, for opposition parties to participate in the investigation, insisting that the ICPC remained the appropriate institution to establish the facts.

He said it would be wrong for the government to remove public officials based only on allegations without allowing investigations to determine the facts.

“Government has asked the ICPC to investigate because it is a criminal allegation. You don’t ask people to step aside simply because somebody made an accusation. Let the investigation establish the facts first,” he said.

Wike alleged that some political actors were seeking to use the controversy to attack the Tinubu administration.

He also criticised Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, accusing him and his supporters of turning national issues into political debates instead of allowing institutions to carry out their responsibilities.

“Everything cannot be politics. They have never been consistent, so I don’t take many of those comments seriously,” he said.

The minister also referred to the recent abduction of pupils in Oyo State, saying attempts to politicise the incident were unnecessary after Governor Seyi Makinde clarified that President Tinubu did not personally call him over the matter.

On opposition politics, Wike said many opposition parties were dealing with internal disputes rather than providing alternatives to the government.

He rejected claims that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was responsible for the legal challenges facing opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

According to him, some parties created their own problems through internal disagreements and legal decisions.

Referring to disputes involving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Wike questioned why cases involving the commission, whose headquarters is in Abuja, were filed in other states.

“If your party headquarters is in Abuja and INEC’s headquarters is in Abuja, why would you go to another state to institute such a sensitive case? These are questions people should ask before accusing government,” he said.

The minister said political parties should address their internal disputes instead of blaming the Federal Government for their challenges.

Meanwhile, Wike announced reforms in the management of parks, gardens and recreational land across the FCT, saying abuse of allocations had forced the government to recover some properties.

He said investigations showed that some individuals obtained recreational plots but converted them into commercial developments, hotels and other businesses contrary to approved land use.

According to him, many occupants could not produce valid approvals from the Department of Parks and Recreation, relying instead on questionable agreements.

“We discovered that many of the documents people were parading had no valid approvals. Some people collected parks and gardens, converted them into hotels and commercial premises and abandoned the original purpose. That cannot continue,” Wike said.

He disclosed that more than 2,000 disputes involving parks and recreational facilities had been identified, leading the administration to begin a review of allocations.

The minister said park operators had been directed to submit their documents for revalidation and that only those who followed approved procedures would retain their allocations.

He added that beneficiaries would be given deadlines to develop their facilities or risk losing the land.

“If you obtain a park or recreational land, you must develop it within the approved period. If you fail to do so, it will revert to government. We cannot allow people to hold public land for decades without development,” he stated.

Wike accused some officials of working with private individuals to undermine land administration in the FCT, insisting that the reforms were aimed at restoring proper use of public land.

He cited cases where the government recovered undeveloped plots that had remained unused for more than 15 years despite being allocated for public projects.

The minister recalled visiting a site meant for a university project and discovering that the land had remained largely undeveloped years after allocation.

He also mentioned a parcel of land near the National Hospital originally designated for recreational use that later became subject to litigation after attempts were made to change its purpose.

According to Wike, the FCT Administration would no longer allow speculative landholding or conversion of public land to uses outside approved plans.

“People say government is grabbing land. No. Government is recovering land that was allocated for public purposes but left undeveloped for years. Public land must serve the public interest,” he said.

The minister acknowledged that some of the reforms had attracted criticism but insisted that difficult decisions were necessary to correct problems in land administration.

“You cannot take decisions that will satisfy everybody. If you want to sanitise the system, some people will naturally be unhappy. But that will not stop us from doing what is right,” Wike said.

He reiterated that the administration would continue enforcing planning regulations, recovering improperly used public assets and strengthening land administration in the FCT.