Olalere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, has responded to allegations made by Niger Delta activist Rita Lori Ogbebor regarding a controversial land dispute in Abuja, dismissing her claims as “emotional” and “sentiment-driven.”
In a detailed right of reply on ARISE NEWS on Friday, Olayinka called on Ogbebor to present legal documents proving ownership of the disputed property.
“I listened to Chief Mrs. Rita Lori. I read what she said on ARISE, and I didn’t see anywhere—I’ve not seen anywhere—where she presented any document from the government to back up her claim that her husband’s company, Paulosa, owned that land, the land in question. All that she has come to say is to display emotion, to whip up sentiment,” Olayinka said.
He emphasised the importance of adhering to legal processes, stating, “You can only claim a land has been taken from you if it belonged to you in the first instance. If you don’t have a genuine, legal claim to a land, you cannot come out to say a land has been taken from you.”
According to Olayinka, two key documents—Right of Occupancy and Certificate of Occupancy—are required to validate land ownership in Nigeria. He challenged Ogbebor to produce either of these for the estate in question, which she claims was allocated to her late husband’s company, Paulosa Construction, in 1984.
He added that despite repeated opportunities to regularise ownership of the land, the Ogbebor family failed to act within the required timeframe.
Olayinka revealed that in February 2023, the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) offered the Ogbebor family an opportunity to regularise their ownership of the land. “They had 20 months to pay; they did not pay,” he stated. “If the government has been troubling you, ‘leave our land,’ and you now have the opportunity of regularising your ownership of the land, would you wait for 20 months to pay?”
He further criticised the family’s prolonged occupation of the land, describing it as an act that would warrant arrest in more developed societies. “Instead of government wielding the big stick and saying, ‘you are a criminal to have done this,’ government was magnanimous enough to say, ‘okay, they wrote a letter to the government asking for their ownership of the land to be regularised.’ And government responded on February 1, 2023, 20 months ago, that ‘okay, we are offering you this land. Come and pay this,’” Olayinka explained.
Rita Lori Ogbebor, a prominent member of the Olu of Warri Council, had earlier accused Wike and the FCDA of unjustly targeting her family’s 42-year-old estate in Abuja. She argued that the land was legally allocated to her late husband, Col. Paul Ogbebor, as part of his contribution to Nigeria’s development during the early days of the capital’s establishment.
The estate, reportedly valued at N3.5 billion, has been home to both Nigerians and foreign nationals. Ogbebor insisted the family was prepared to settle any outstanding payments and criticised Wike’s actions as an attack on her husband’s legacy. “We are prepared to pay this money,” she said, urging President Bola Tinubu to investigate the matter.
The dispute highlights broader issues of land ownership and governance in Abuja, where allegations of favoritism and irregularities in land allocations are common. While Ogbebor’s claims have garnered public attention, Olayinka maintained that legal documentation, not sentiment, is the only basis for resolving the matter.
“The only thing that would matter would be for Chief Mrs. Rita Lori to come up with documents showing that the land was allocated to Paulosa Construction Company in 1984, that the land was allocated to that company to build an estate. We should have that document first. We should have, probably, a right of occupancy. At least if you have been occupying a land for over 40 years, you should have a certificate of occupancy. She has not presented any. And the truth of this matter is that she does not have any,” Olayinka concluded.
As the case unfolds, it remains to be seen whether Ogbebor will present the evidence required to substantiate her claims or if the government will proceed with its plans regarding the estate.
Melissa Enoch
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