Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has defended the reallocation of Jabi Lake, a popular recreation park in Abuja.
In February 2026, the FCT Administration (FCTA) signed a development agreement with Suburban Broadband Limited and Akida Hills Limited to transform Jabi Lake into a recreational hub.
However, on Sunday, Sarah Omakwu, a senior pastor of Family Worship Centre, Abuja, urged the minister not to allocate Jabi Lake for private development.
Omakwu made the appeal in a video posted on her Instagram page, where she was seen kneeling while addressing the minister.
“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.
Reacting on Wednesday during a media chat in Abuja, Wike dismissed the pastor’s plea, adding that he is not “carried away by such emotions”.
The minister said the location was previously given to a company which said it would 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,” Wike said.
He said the allocation had been revoked and would be reassigned to investors with the capacity to develop the site.
The minister said strict conditions would guide the new arrangement.
“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 said.
“We will reallocate the land with clear conditions. If there is no development within the specified time, we will take it back.
“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.”
Wike also denied claims that the reallocation was intended to restrict public 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,” he said.
