Nyesom Wike has defended the decision to reallocate land around Jabi Lake, insisting the move is aimed at improving the area and attracting serious investors.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) spoke on Wednesday during a media chat in Abuja, days after Pastor Sarah Omakwu publicly appealed to him not to hand over the popular recreation centre for private development.
In a video shared on Instagram, Omakwu knelt while urging the minister to reconsider the allocation.
“I cannot fight the minister of the FCT. I cannot. But I go on my knees as a mother in this land that Jabi Lake Recreation Centre should not be given to anybody,” she said.
The controversy follows a February 2026 agreement signed by the FCT Administration with Suburban Broadband Limited and Akida Hills Limited to transform the lakefront into a recreational hub.
Responding to the criticism, Wike said he would not be swayed by emotional appeals, arguing that the previous occupants failed to properly develop the area.
According to him, the site had deteriorated into “shanties”, raising security and environmental concerns.
“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,” the minister said.
Wike said the government revoked the earlier allocation because the land had remained undeveloped for too long.
“We revoked it. Now we want to give it to people who are ready to develop it,” he said.
He added that the new investors would face strict timelines and conditions, warning that any failure to develop the property would lead to another revocation.
“We will reallocate the land with clear conditions. If there is no development within the specified time, we will take it back,” he said.
The minister also dismissed claims that the reallocation would deny residents access to the lake.
“We are not taking anything from the public. We are reclaiming land from those who failed to do what they were supposed to do or who converted it to unauthorised uses,” Wike added.
