A fresh controversy has erupted around the administration of Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, after his media aide, Lere Olayinka, allegedly sent a threatening message to a journalist who reported on the worsening water scarcity affecting residents of Abuja.
Lawyer and investigative journalist, Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, raised the alarm after she received a message from Olayinka, who serves as Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and spokesperson. The message came shortly after she published a report highlighting the severe shortage of water across several communities in the Federal Capital Territory.
In a video that went viral on Tuesday evening, Giwa-Osagie revealed the message allegedly sent by Olayinka and questioned whether it was intended as intimidation for her reporting.
According to her, the message read: “If you are asked to come and substantiate your claims now, human rice and beans will start making noise,” a statement she interpreted as a possible reference to human rights activists who often defend journalists facing harassment.
The journalist said the message raised serious concerns about attempts to silence investigative reporting and undermine press freedom in Nigeria.
“Following my report on water scarcity in Abuja, the Minister Wike’s aide, Lere Olayinka, his spokesperson and Senior Special Assistant on Media, sent me a message which I will post here,” she said in the video.
She publicly asked Nigerians to judge whether the message constituted intimidation, undue influence, or a veiled threat.
“Is this a threat? Is this intimidation? Is this undue influence? I’m bringing this out to the public so you can all decide. I’m not sure if it’s a mockery of our human rights,” she stated.
Giwa-Osagie stressed that her report was based on information already available in the public domain and supported by previous warnings from officials and investigations by journalists.
She pointed out that the General Manager of the Abuja Water Treatment Plant, Daniel Salka, had earlier disclosed in October last year that the facility was struggling with shortages of chemicals required for water treatment.
She also referenced a January publication by Aliyu Abdullahi, which warned that water scarcity could become inevitable if authorities failed to address mechanical faults in the treatment plants, shortages of treatment chemicals, and alleged diversion of water meant for public supply.
Further fueling the controversy, the journalist cited an earlier investigative report by SaharaReporters published on January 30 which alleged that water meant for treatment plants was being diverted by SCC Nigeria Limited to Jordan Farms in Ushafa, a property reportedly linked to Jordan Wike, the son of the FCT Minister.
According to Giwa-Osagie, residents from several affected communities had personally contacted her to complain about the worsening conditions.
She said people living in Ushafa and Bwari told her they had been suffering from prolonged electricity outages and severe water shortages while water and power were allegedly being supplied to the farm.
“I also received messages from people who reside in Ushafa and Bwari asking me to speak about this and telling me about the fact that they didn’t have light and water,” she explained.
“One person told me he hadn’t bathed for days but could see electricity and water going to this farm.”
The journalist further referenced a July 2025 investigation by People’s Gazette which alleged that several land allocations carried out under the FCT administration were linked to the minister’s family members and close associates.
She said she independently verified some of the companies mentioned in the investigation through the Corporate Affairs Commission database and discovered that several of them shared common directors.
According to her findings, some of those directors also appeared on multiple company records, including a sitting member of the House of Representatives who previously served as an aide to the minister.
Giwa-Osagie warned that such pressure on investigative journalists is becoming increasingly common in Nigeria.
She cited reports that at least 160 journalists have been arrested or detained in the last two years over their work, including Daniel Ojukwu, who faced detention after publishing investigative reports.
The journalist insisted that public officials should address allegations through transparent communication rather than private messages perceived as intimidation.
“If the aim is to counter the information, they should publicly issue a statement or counter the claims openly,” she said.
She maintained that despite the risks, she would continue reporting issues affecting citizens and exposing matters of public interest.
“I’m bringing this to the public so you understand what actually happens behind the scenes when I speak about some of these topics,” Giwa-Osagie said.
“It’s not all rosy over here, but we will continue.”
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