By John Umeh
Reduced allocation fee from 200m to N2m in 48hrs
The political rift between Senator Ireti Kingibe and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, deepened further this week as the senator made a fresh wave of allegations against the former Rivers State governor. In a bold statement, Kingibe accused Wike of improperly allocating plots of land in Abuja to his sons and drastically reducing the fees attached to those allocations within 24 hours.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja, Senator Kingibe—who represents the FCT in the National Assembly—claimed that Wike used his position as FCT Minister to gift premium land to his children, bypassing due process and violating ethical standards. According to her, the initial allocation fee for the land in question was pegged at ₦200 million but was allegedly slashed to just ₦2 million within a day under the minister’s direct influence.
“Such reckless abuse of office should not go unchecked,” Kingibe declared. “When you allocate land meant for the development of the Federal Capital Territory to your own children, and reduce the fee from ₦200 million to ₦2 million overnight, it reeks of corruption, impunity, and betrayal of public trust.”
She further alleged that several land allocation documents are being quietly manipulated to favor cronies and family members of top FCT officials. While she did not provide the specific plot numbers or names of the alleged beneficiaries, Kingibe urged anti-corruption agencies to immediately investigate the FCT administration under Wike’s leadership.
The accusations come amid ongoing tensions between the senator and the FCT Minister, with Kingibe having previously accused Wike of sidelining elected representatives in FCT policy decisions. Her latest claims are likely to intensify scrutiny on Wike’s leadership and could invite formal probes if substantiated.
As of press time, Wike has not officially responded to the fresh allegations. However, his allies, including media aide Lere Olayinka, have dismissed Kingibe’s statements in the past as “politically motivated distractions.” Observers say the escalating war of words could derail legislative-executive cooperation on major infrastructure and urban development projects within the FCT.
The public now awaits whether anti-graft agencies like the EFCC or ICPC will act on the senator’s claims, or if this will become another unresolved chapter in Abuja’s deepening political drama.
