On December 19, 2024, a popular independent news and media television channel in Nigeria, Channels Television, posted a news article on its verified X handle. The post contained a picture of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Honorable Nyesom Wike, with the claim that he has revoked lands belonging to former President, Muhammadu Buhari, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
The post made on the @channelstv handle was captioned, “Wike Revokes FCT Lands Of Buhari, Abbas, Akume, Others
https://channelstv.com/2024/12/19/wike-revokes-fct-lands-of-buhari-abbas-akume-others/.” This news article post had attracted over 206,500 views, 367 comments, 381 retweets and quotes, 1,300 likes and 95 bookmarks as of the time this report was published.
In the comment section, @CollinsZagaa said, “Buhari also thief lands for Abuja ah I thought they said na man of dignity na only his executives rob Nigeria,” while @Govmentson replied, “This Wike nor get who he Dey fear oh”. The personalities involved in the news articles including an ex-president and current government officials prompted NV-A to verify the authenticity of the news story.
VERIFICATION
Using keywords search, NV-A found several news platforms that also published the same story with similar headlines including Guardian Nigeria, The Punch, Premium Times Nigeria, and Sahara reporters.
However, a new article was published by The Punch on December 20, 2024 with the headline, ‘Wike revokes Buhari foundation, SGF, ex-CJN, others FCT land’ in an attempt to set the record straight. According to The Punch’s new report, Wike revoked land titles in Abuja belonging to several prominent individuals, including a foundation named after former President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement released on his X handle on December 19 by Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, he said his principal was not the owner of the revoked land. He said the plot was allocated in the name of “Muhammadu Buhari Foundation,” as the former President already “has a plot of land to his name in Abuja.”
Shehu noted that the foundation encountered challenges with the FCT land department, which issued an unusually high bill for the certificate of occupancy, significantly higher than those given to similar organizations, stressing that during his tenure, President Buhari declined offers for additional land allocations, stating that he already possessed a plot in Abuja and preferred that those without land should receive allocations.
Shehu’s statement was also posted on the X handle of the former President, Muhammadu Buhari, stating that the Foundation was floated by some utilitarian individuals around him who went about it in a lawful manner with the support of a number of well-meaning persons.
In a document obtained from the Federal Capital Territory Administration attached below, it revealed that the revoked land is part of the 762 plots in the Maitama District and the said Buhari land does not belong to the former president but rather, to a trust foundation.
Meanwhile, a name search for the foundation on the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, website revealed that the foundation was registered as an incorporated trust in November 2019 and its current status is INACTIVE.
CONCLUSION
The claim by Channels Television and other news platforms that the FCT minister revoked a land belonging to former president Buhari is MISLEADING as the land which was revoked belongs to a personal trust foundation in his name, not the one owned personally by former President Buhari.
