Why Should It Be Wrong When Others Get Land? Wike Replies Channels TV

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has insisted that the federal government has done nothing wrong by allocating lands to Ambassadors appointed by President Bola Tinubu.

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He also maintained that he was right to have called out Channels Television over the questions raised by some journalists on the land allocation during his media chat on Wednesday.

Speaking with newsmen on Thursday during the inspection of some ongoing projects in Abuja, Wike disclosed that there is nothing to hide in the fact that the government allocated a land to a media organization to carry out its business.

The Minister added that media houses are set up for business and not charity organisations, so it is normal and expected that they have to make money through adverts, live coverage, and other means to fund their activities and pay staff salaries.

He insisted that if the government could allocate land in Abuja for Channels Television to carry out its activities, then there is nothing wrong if the government decides to do the same for others.

In his words, “Media organizations are not set up for charity, they are for business.

“Reason they do adverts and collect money. Apart from payments for adverts and Live Coverage, there are Commercial News on which money are paid.

“This is how they make money to fund their operations and pay staff salaries. Why then should we hide this obvious fact?

So if government allocated land (not sell, because in the FCT, government don’t sell lands) to a media organization to build structures where it run its business, is the organization not making money from the land?

“Also, if allocation of land to you is right, why should it be wrong when others get?”

Naija News recalls that following the media chat, Channels TV on Thursday, took a swipe at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over the allocation of a parcel of land housing its headquarters in Abuja.

In an official rebuttal read on Thursday, Kayode Okikiolu, a Channels TV anchor, rejected claims by the Minister that the television station makes money from lands allocated to it in Abuja.

According to the anchor, the lands were allocated to Channels TV in 2007 by the then FCT Minister for commercial purposes and every fee that was needed to be paid has been paid.

Okikiolu also addressed claims by the Minister that the station makes money from its monthly interview of Wike. The TV Host stated that Outside Broadcasting Vans (OBV) and other equipment are usually deployed for the interview that takes over one or two hours of airtime. He stated that such airtime had to be paid for.

Channels TV added that it would continue to ask “the right questions” and maintain the credibility and trust it has built in three decades.

Channels TV further challenged Wike to publicly release the full list of journalists who received lands in the FCT, as he claimed.