Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju has lambasted the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, urging him to “stop grabbing people’s land” and handing it to his cronies.
Adeyanju and Wike were engaged in a verbal battle after the FCT Joint Task Force demolished a village, displacing thousands of Abuja residents.
Adeyanju made this statement on Friday during a news conference in Abuja, in response to the minister’s earlier remark that he was “a jobless man” for staging a protest against the destruction in the neighborhood.
But Adeyanju, who slammed the Minister, claimed his only offense was questioning Wike about his inappropriate behavior, describing the minister as someone who despises constructive criticism.
The human rights lawyer vowed not to stop criticising the minister whenever he does something wrong and illegal; he stated that the minister is under fire for “some of his bad policies, his anti-people policy in the FCT, and issues surrounding land grabbing of poor people’s homes and giving them to his friends,” which he admitted in his response.
“He has not faulted us on the allegations we raised. Rather he has said yes, that he is giving the land that he is grabbing from poor people to his friends, but that, should he give the land to his enemies? “These are the kinds of people that are ruling in our country, people that should be in jail for corruption, for stealing, for electoral fraud. They are the ones who want to give lectures on morality.”
He revealed that he went to request support from Wike then as governor of oil-rich Rivers State, just as he sought the support of other governors, stakeholders, and party leaders, dismissing Wike as not being more essential than the others.
Adeyanju continued: “He allegedly said that I came to him, I begged him to be national public secretary of PDP.
“Everyone knows that I withdrew from politics eight years ago. And the event he mentions occurred before I quit from politics. Since my political decision, I’ve been detained, harassed, and beaten on the street.”
While revealing that “We have maintained communications with him,” the activist further said, “Many times when I criticised him, he called me and said he did not want friendship with me again. He does not like to be criticised.”
He said, “I didn’t meet only Wike. I met him when I was still active in politics. I met every governor of the PDP then. I’ve never seen where consultation with party leaders is tagged begging.”
The lawyer explained that Wike “never said to my face that he would not support me” contrary to what the minister said on Thursday that he said no when he was approached.
“Look at the way he’s grabbing land in the FCT all over the place and giving it to his friends. He’s grabbing even parks, stealing people’s parks, and turning it into residential buildings.
“And he expects people not to complain. Whenever you challenge him, he will call you. And there’s nothing I’m saying that I don’t have receipts.
“He does not like to be challenged”.
