Did You Come Here For Free? — Wike’s Comment Triggers Channels TV’s Response

Channels Television has strongly responded to allegations by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over claims that the broadcaster benefited from controversial land allocations in Abuja’s Guzape district.

The media organisation, during its breakfast programme The Morning Brief aired on Thursday, described the minister’s remarks as inaccurate and misleading, insisting that its Abuja headquarters was legally acquired nearly two decades ago and not part of any questionable land deal.

The controversy began during Wike’s monthly media chat on Wednesday when the minister confronted a Channels Television reporter and accused some journalists and media organisations of benefiting from land allocations in the Federal Capital Territory.

According to Wike, several staff members of the station allegedly owned plots of land in Abuja, suggesting that media organisations were not neutral in their coverage of the FCT Administration.

“Have you seen the list of those to whom we allocated land? It’s because these ones became public. Do you know how many people working at Channels TV that have land? Did you come here to interview for free? I am not going to pay for the live interview,” the minister stated during the heated exchange.

Reacting to the allegations, the station’s anchor, Kayode Okikiolu, clarified that the land housing Channels Television’s national headquarters in Guzape was officially allocated to the company on March 6, 2007, by the FCT Administration under a previous minister.

He explained that the land was granted strictly for commercial purposes and that all statutory payments, fees, and charges attached to the allocation had since been fully settled.

“Channels Television has now released an official rebuttal to the statement made by the FCT minister that Channels is making money from the land allocated to it in Guzape. That is not correct. The property which houses our national headquarters in the Guzape area of Abuja was allocated to CTV on March 6, 2007, about 19 years ago, and all required payments were duly made,” the station said.

The broadcaster also addressed comments regarding payment for live coverage of the minister’s media chat, stressing that such broadcasts involve huge operational and logistical expenses.

Okikiolu explained that television stations deploy outside broadcasting vans, technical crews, camera operators, and production staff for such live events, making payment for airtime and coverage a standard professional practice in the broadcasting industry.

“We gave full disclosure that the media chat was a live broadcast. To get that coverage to viewers, stations deploy outside broadcasting vans and crews of six or more personnel. If we are to dedicate one to three hours of airtime to such coverage, naturally there are costs involved, and clients receive value for what they pay for,” he added.

The station further reaffirmed its commitment to editorial independence and investigative journalism, saying it would not be intimidated or distracted from asking difficult questions in the public interest.

“We will continue to ask the right questions, just as we did yesterday. We will not allow any form of deflection. The trust we have built over the last 30 years is rooted in credibility, professionalism, and balanced reporting,” Okikiolu stated.

On the broader issue of land allocations to journalists and media practitioners in Abuja, Channels Television called on the FCT Administration to publish full details of beneficiaries and ensure transparency in the allocation process.

The broadcaster urged the minister to publicly disclose who received land allocations, the purpose of such allocations, and whether all necessary payments were made in accordance with the law.