Channels Television has pushed back against Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike after he publicly questioned how the broadcaster came to occupy its Abuja headquarters, calling his claims flatly incorrect.
Wike made the remarks during a media chat on Wednesday, suggesting the station was benefiting from government-allocated public land without proper payment. “The land that you built Channels on is public land,” the minister said, adding that the station was profiting from public property it never purchased.
The broadcaster responded swiftly during its Thursday broadcast, stating that the Guzape property was formally allocated to Channels Television (CTV) on March 6, 2007, for commercial purposes by the FCT minister at the time — and that every applicable fee and charge had been fully settled.
Wike also took a swipe at the station over payments collected to air his media chat, implying the station should not charge for such coverage. Channels TV defended the practice, explaining that live broadcasts demand significant resources outside broadcasting vans, deployed crew, and blocked airtime and that its fee structure is publicly available. “If you are going to lock down one, two, or three hours of airtime, of course you will pay,” the station said.
Beyond the land dispute, Channels TV used the moment to turn the spotlight back on the minister, calling on him to address broader allegations surrounding land allocations to journalists in the FCT and to ensure all statutory fees tied to such allocations are properly accounted for.
The station closed its statement with a reaffirmation of its editorial mission, pledging to keep asking hard questions and to protect the public trust it has built over thirty years of broadcasting.
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