By Muhammad Mamman
Nyesom Wike, Nigeria’s FCT minister, is flexing serious political muscle in President Bola Tinubu’s inner circle, and his latest moves prove it. In a bold power play, Wike has been doling out prime Abuja land to his 90-year-old father, siblings, cousins, nephews, and childhood buddies, turning the capital’s real estate into a family affair.
Following exposés by Peoples Gazette on June 27 and July 1, 2025, revealing Wike’s sons, Joaquin and Jordan, scored 3,822 hectares worth $6.45 million, the minister doubled down. On July 4, he summoned FCTA officials, fuming over media scrutiny, and handed out a list of 38 cronies for fast-tracked land deals. By July 16, he’d signed off on 33 allocations, including a 1,042-square-meter plot worth N400 million for his father, Joshua Nlemanya Wike, in upscale Guzape II. Other kin, like cousins Believe and Primise, nephew Victor, and eight relatives of ally James Hunwo, also hit the jackpot.
This wasn’t Wike’s first rodeo. In April, six family members, including brothers Vincent and Chidi, bagged plots in the same posh neighborhood. Documents show Wike often skips standard procedures, waving fees and fast-tracking approvals with verbal orders. “He rules like accountability doesn’t exist,” one official whispered, noting Wike’s boasts about bankrolling Tinubu’s 2023 campaign and his untouchable status.
Despite a supposed presidential probe, Wike’s land spree continues, raising eyebrows among Tinubu’s aides. They admit the president’s in a bind: sack Wike and risk losing a deep-pocketed ally for 2027, or keep him and stomach the corruption stink. With Tinubu’s approval ratings in the 30s and a new opposition coalition looming, Wike’s cash and clout are hard to ditch.
Anti-corruption agencies EFCC and ICPC are watching but can’t act without Tinubu’s nod. Activists are crying foul, slamming Wike’s “reckless abuse of office” as a violation of Nigeria’s Constitution, which bans self-enrichment by public officials. Yet, Wike shrugs off the heat, denying wrongdoing and twisting the narrative. As Abuja’s land becomes his family’s playground, the question isn’t just how powerful Wike is—it’s whether anyone can stop him.
