The controversy began after Wike, during a media chat on Wednesday, questioned the allocation of the Guzape property to the television station and argued that the media organisation was profiting from public land allocated by the government.
According to the minister, the land on which Channels Television built its headquarters remains public property allocated by the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
“The land that you built Channels on is public land,” Wike said during the media session. He also defended payments made for the live broadcast of the programme, insisting that television stations do not provide such coverage free of charge.
Reacting during its broadcast on Thursday, Channels Television rejected the minister’s claims, stating clearly that the property was legally allocated to the station for commercial purposes on March 6, 2007, by the then FCT administration.Related News
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The broadcaster further explained that all statutory fees, charges, and financial obligations connected to the land allocation were fully paid in accordance with the law.
“It is not correct. The property which houses our national headquarters in the Guzape area of Abuja was allocated to CTV on March 6, 2007, for commercial purposes,” the station stated.
Channels Television also defended the payment received for airing the minister’s media chat, noting that live transmissions involve major operational costs, including deployment of outside broadcasting equipment, technical personnel, and dedicated airtime.
The media organisation stressed that it would continue to uphold professional journalism standards and ask critical questions while maintaining the credibility it has built over the years.
The station additionally called on the FCT minister to provide clarification on allegations surrounding lands reportedly allocated to journalists, maintaining that any legitimate fees tied to such allocations should be properly settled.
The exchange between Channels Television and Nyesom Wike has since generated public reactions, with many Nigerians debating issues surrounding media independence, government relations, and land allocation in the Federal Capital Territory.
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