ABUJA, NIGERIA – Channels Television has issued a direct challenge to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to publicly name any of its journalists who reportedly received land allocations in Abuja.
The broadcaster’s rebuttal follows a heated exchange during a live media chat on Wednesday, where the Minister suggested that several media professionals, including those at Channels TV, were beneficiaries of land deals in the capital.
The Demand for Transparency
Responding during its breakfast programme, The Morning Brief, the station urged the Minister to move beyond insinuations and provide full disclosure. “We dare the Minister to release the list of journalists who have land, show when they got it, and state whether they paid the required statutory fees,” the station declared.
The challenge comes after Wike pointedly asked a reporter during the briefing, “Do you know how many people working at Channels TV have land?” The station maintains that such comments are a diversion from critical questions regarding the administration’s current policies and land allocation transparency.
Rebuttal on Headquarters Land
The broadcaster also addressed the Minister’s claims regarding the station’s national headquarters in the Guzape district. Wike had questioned the allocation of the plot, suggesting it was public property being used for commercial gain.
Channels TV clarified that the property was legally acquired for commercial purposes on March 6, 2007. The station emphasised that all statutory payments and fees were settled in full nearly two decades ago, long before the current administration took office.
Defending Media Integrity
On the issue of “brown envelopes,” the station defended the professionalism of its staff and noted that standard commercial fees for live coverage of government events are transparent and standard industry practice.
The exchange has sparked a wider conversation about the relationship between the government and the press in the FCT. Channels TV reaffirmed that it would continue to hold public officials accountable, stating it would not be intimidated by “deflections” intended to silence independent reporting.
