A fresh political firestorm has erupted in Nigeria’s capital as Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, faces accusations of “flagrant robbery of public assets” following an alleged allocation of 1,740 hectares of prime Abuja land, reportedly valued at $2.85 billion, to a private firm identified as Firstborn Jordan Nigeria Limited.
The explosive allegations surfaced in documents and leaked memos circulating among lawmakers and civil society groups, triggering public outrage and renewed scrutiny of Wike’s controversial tenure as FCT Minister.
According to insiders familiar with the transaction, the land situated in a high-value corridor of the Federal Capital Territory was transferred under “special development arrangements”, bypassing standard competitive bidding processes and raising serious questions about transparency, due process, and conflict of interest.
“This is not governance. It is an act of flagrant robbery,” said one Abuja-based activist with the Coalition for Public Integrity. “Allocating such a vast tract of public land to a single private entity without open bidding or legislative oversight is unacceptable.”
The company in question, Firstborn Jordan, is reportedly linked to politically exposed individuals, though no official statement has been made regarding its ownership structure. Critics allege that the firm is a proxy used to mask questionable land deals under the guise of public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements.
The development has reignited long-standing concerns over corruption in land administration within the FCT, a sector historically plagued by abuse, land racketeering, and opaque allocations to cronies.
Wike, who has styled himself as a no-nonsense reformer since taking office in 2023, has not yet publicly responded to the allegations. However, his media aides insist that all land transactions under his watch have followed the “highest standards of accountability.”
Opposition lawmakers are already calling for a legislative probe, with some hinting at the possibility of a formal petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“This is no longer politics it’s daylight looting. We’ll pursue this through every legal and constitutional channel available,” said Senator Aminu Musa, a member of the Senate Committee on Public Lands.
The alleged $2.85 billion land allocation, if confirmed, would be one of the largest single land grants in Abuja’s recent history and may shape the national conversation around elite capture of public assets, particularly in the capital’s lucrative real estate market.
As pressure mounts, analysts say this could become a defining controversy of Wike’s ministerial career potentially testing both President Tinubu’s anti-corruption stance and the resilience of Nigeria’s institutions in holding powerful figures accountable.
