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Wike Dismisses Emotional Plea, Says Jabi Lake Land Will Be Reallocated for Proper Development
Wike says government revoked long-unused Jabi Lake allocation and will reassign it to serious developers.
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has rejected calls to halt redevelopment plans for Jabi Lake, stating that emotional appeals cannot influence government decisions on land use in Abuja.
He made the remarks on Wednesday in response to a plea from Sarah Omakwu, senior pastor of Family Worship Centre, who had publicly urged him not to transfer the Jabi Lake recreational site to private investors. The pastor was said to have made her appeal in a viral video, kneeling as she pleaded for the preservation of the facility.
Wike, however, maintained that the government would not be swayed by sentiment.
“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 said the government had revoked the earlier allocation after more than 15 years of inactivity and poor development outcomes.
“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,” he stated.
According to him, the land will be reassigned under strict conditions to ensure proper development, with the possibility of revocation if conditions are not met.
“We will reallocate the land with clear conditions. If there is no development within the specified time, we will take it back,” he added.
Wike stressed that the land remains government property and must serve public interest rather than private claims.
“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 said.
He also cautioned against unauthorized developments, including the construction of structures on land not designated for such use.
“You cannot build where you are not supposed to and expect sympathy,” he said.
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