Sarah Omakwu, Senior Pastor of Family Worship Centre, Abuja, has pleaded with Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), not to allocate the Jabi Lake Recreation Area to private developers. In a video posted on her Instagram page on Sunday, Omakwu knelt on the pulpit while making her appeal. "I cannot fight the minister of the FCT. I cannot. But I go on my knees as a mother in this land that Jabi Lake Recreation Centre should not be given to anybody," she said.
Omakwu emphasized the park's importance to daily life in Abuja, stating, "That is where people go for exercise. That is where people sell. That is where people meet and hobnob and get married. That is where people go to watch games. That is where young people go to." She begged Wike, "in the name of God, as a mother, to not sell that land to anybody."
She referenced previous restrictions on public access near Aso Rock, expressing concern over shrinking open spaces in the capital. "I can't fight you. But I can beg you in the name of God Almighty that that land be left for everybody. I beg you. Please heed our call," she said. Her appeal follows the FCT Administration's February agreement with Suburban Broadband Limited and Akida Hills Limited to redevelop Jabi Lake into a recreational and tourism hub.
A minister overseeing public land now faces a public plea from a cleric who had to kneel to be heard, exposing the imbalance in how citizens must appeal for basic access. The redevelopment deal with Suburban Broadband Limited and Akida Hills Limited risks replacing communal space with private gain. Residents who use Jabi Lake for exercise, business and social events stand to lose if public land becomes commercial property. The emotional appeal underscores what official channels have failed to deliver — a simple assurance that some spaces remain for all.
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