There are allegations yet to be proven that Joaquin Wike, the minister’s last of two sons, has received at least 2,000 hectares, or 40,000 plots, in Maitama, Asokoro, Guzape and other parts of Abuja.
The information was made public by Peoples Gazette with details allegedly obtained from documents and officials.
Officials estimated that the hectares Mr Wike issued to his son, along with certificates of occupancy, are worth at least $3.6 billion. A plot in Maitama and Asokoro, where Mr Wike gave his son at least seven hectares total, was recently sold for $1.28 and $1.4 million, respectively, according to documents reviewed by The Gazette.
The news media alleged that Wike’s action was so brazen that when aides told him he needed to exercise caution, he dismissed their warnings, saying he wanted his children to be the largest landowners in the nation’s capital.
“When we told the minister in April that he needed to slow down on frequent allocations to his own children, he said he was just starting because his goal was to make them the largest landowners in Abuja,” an aide said, discussing the minister’s conduct under anonymity. “We’ve worked with ministers before him, but we have never seen anything even remotely comparable to this.”
Most of the allocations are in developing communities, such as Kwaita, Bwari, and Gaduwa, where sources said Mr Wike carefully selected them for their medium to long-term commercial prospects.
While it was unclear when the scheme was devised, documents showed Mr Wike started allocating the lands to Joaquin days after a company allegedly named after him was registered in October 2024.
The company, Joaq Farms and Estates Ltd, was registered on October 10, 2024. Barely a week later, on October 17, 2024, Mr Wike allocated 350 hectares to the business via file number 155882 and certificate of occupancy number 0000162.
The company listed its address as 13, Thaba Tseka Street, Wuse II, with Thaba mispelled on the documents as Theba. The address has long been associated with Mr Wike and his numerous fronts in the Nigerian capital, The Gazette learnt.
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