The Senior Pastor of Family Worship Centre, Abuja, Sarah Omakwu, has publicly appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, not to allocate the Jabi Lake Recreation Area for private development.
Ms Omakwu made the emotional appeal in a video shared on Sunday via her Instagram page, where she was seen kneeling on the pulpit while addressing the minister.
“I cannot fight the minister of the FCT… but I go on my knees as a mother… that Jabi Lake Recreation Centre should not be given to anybody,” she said.
The appeal comes months after the Federal Capital Territory Administration entered into agreements with private firms, including Suburban Broadband Limited and Akida Hills Limited, to transform Jabi Lake into a major recreational and tourism hub.
Mr Wike had said the initiative was aimed at boosting economic activities and repositioning Abuja as a leisure destination.
Ms Omakwu stressed the importance of the Jabi Lake area as a public space for recreation and social activities.
“That is where people go for exercise… where young people go to… I beg you, Mr Minister, in the name of God, not to sell that land to anybody,” she added.
She urged the minister to preserve the facility for public use, warning against losing communal spaces in the capital.
Ms Omakwu also referenced past restrictions on public access to Aso Rock, suggesting a pattern of shrinking public spaces.
“I can’t fight you. But I can beg you… that that land be left for everybody,” she said.
Despite her concerns, Ms Omakwu commended Mr Wike for ongoing infrastructure development across the Federal Capital Territory.
“I want to thank you for all the highways you have built… you have made my journey… easier,” she said, while reiterating her plea over the Jabi Lake land.
