Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has made clear that sentiment will play no role in the government’s decision-making on the future of Jabi Lake, stating that the site must be developed in line with due process and the broader public interest.
Wike addressed journalists during a media chat in Abuja on Wednesday, responding directly to a widely circulated video in which Pastor Sarah Omakwu of Family Worship Centre knelt in appeal, urging the minister to keep the recreational area out of private hands.
The minister was unmoved.
“You talk about the woman kneeling down and begging , I’m not carried away by such emotions,” he said. “Begging to do what? Who owns Jabi Lake?”
Wike explained that the previous occupant of the land, a company that had been allocated the site for over 15 years, had failed to deliver any meaningful development, turning the area into what he described as a cluster of shanties that posed potential security risks.
“I went there one day and said, ‘This can’t be.’ There is a hotel — who would stay in a hotel surrounded by shanties? You don’t even know if criminals are hiding there,” he said.
He confirmed the allocation had since been revoked and that the land would be reassigned to capable investors under strict conditions, including clear timelines for development.
“You cannot allocate land and leave it that long with nothing to show,” Wike said. “We will reallocate it with clear conditions. If there is no development within the specified time, we will take it back.”
Addressing the pastor’s plea directly, the minister was blunt: “If she likes, let her call God to come down. What is my business? How does Jabi become hers? Is it individual or government property?”
Wike also referenced a separate case in which a clergyman allegedly built a church on land zoned for recreational use, warning that such infractions would not be overlooked.
“You cannot build where you are not supposed to and expect sympathy,” he said.
The minister maintained that the government’s goal remains ensuring the land serves everyone, not a select few — and that emotional appeals, regardless of who makes them, will not change that position.
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