Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, a Nigerian journalist, historian, and lawyer who works as a correspondent and anchor with ARISE News, co-hosts The Dirty Lie podcast, and runs Untold Stories Nigeria, has publicly accused Lere Olayinka, the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of sending her a threatening message following her report on the worsening water scarcity crisis in Abuja.
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In a video she shared on social media, Giwa-Osagie disclosed that Olayinka had privately messaged her after she published a report highlighting the water crisis in the FCT, and put the question directly to the public:
“Following my report on water scarcity in Abuja, the Minister Wike’s aide, Lere Olayinka, his spokesperson, SA Media, sent me a message which I will post here. Is this a threat? Is this intimidation? Is this undue influence? I’m bringing this out to the public so you can all decide,” she said.
Giwa-Osagie described the message as a possible affront to fundamental rights guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution, adding: “I’m not sure if it’s a mockery of our human rights.”
In the video, Giwa-Osagie explicitly invoked Section 39(1) and Section 39(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which enshrine the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press respectively. She maintained that her report was a lawful exercise of her constitutional duties as a journalist.
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“Section 39(1) and Section 39(2) of the Constitution enshrine both my freedom of speech and freedom of the press. It is my duty to both inform the public and scrutinise government,” she stated.
Giwa-Osagie stressed that everything contained in her original report was already in the public domain, drawn from publicly available statements by officials, published media investigations, and records accessible through the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). She outlined the key elements of her reporting as follows:
The General Manager of the Abuja water treatment plant, Daniel Saka, had spoken publicly in October of last year about the scarcity of chemicals needed to treat water in the FCT.
Aliyu Abdullahi had published a report by January warning that water scarcity was imminent in the FCT if the Minister did not act to address mechanical issues at the treatment plants, the shortage of water, and the diversion of water meant for treatment plants to other locations.
According to Giwa-Osagie, the water was being diverted by SCC Limited. She cited a report published by Sahara Reporters on 30 January which stated that, according to its sources, a significant portion of the diverted water was going to Jordan Farms in Usafa—a farm purportedly named after the Minister’s son, Jordan Wike. The diversion, the report stated, was being carried out by SCC Limited.
She further referenced an exclusive report published by The People’s Gazette in July 2025, which investigated land allocations in the FCT allegedly made by the Minister to his family members and close associates. Giwa-Osagie said she had independently verified some of the information by searching the CAC’s company registry.
“Some of those names and some of those companies are searchable on the CAC, which I also did myself. A lot of these companies have directors that are similar. Right, directors would appear on multiple of those companies’ lists, including a member of the House of Representatives, who’s a former aide to the Minister,” she revealed.
Giwa-Osagie disclosed that she had also received direct messages from residents of Usafa and Bwari in the FCT, who had asked her to speak about the lack of water and electricity in their communities while alleging that both utilities were being channelled to the farm.
“I also, of course, received messages from people who reside in Usafa and Bwari asking me to speak about this and telling me about the fact that they didn’t have light and water. Someone said he hadn’t bathed for days, but he could see light and water going to this farm,” she said.
The journalist said she did not take the message from Olayinka lightly, situating it within the broader climate of press suppression in Nigeria. She noted that at least 160 journalists have been arrested and detained in Nigeria in the past two years, citing the cases of Fisayo Soyombo and Daniel Ochereku as prominent examples of journalists who have faced repercussions for doing investigative journalism.
“I don’t take messages like this lightly. At least a hundred and sixty journalists have been arrested and detained in the past two years, including journalists like Fisayo Soyombo and Daniel Ochereku for doing investigative journalism,” she warned.
Giwa-Osagie challenged the Minister’s aide to respond to her report through the proper public channels rather than through private messages, arguing that sending her a private message of that nature was inappropriate.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate that this message was sent privately, especially the tone of the message. If the aim is to counter the information, do so publicly, issue a public statement or counter the information,” she said.
She said her decision to publicise the exchange was intended to show Nigerians what journalists face behind the scenes when they report on sensitive matters involving powerful public officials.
“I’m just bringing this out to the public so you guys understand what actually happens and what it looks like behind the scenes when I speak about some of these topics. It’s not all rosy over here,” she said.
Despite the alleged threat, Giwa-Osagie struck a defiant tone, making clear that she would not be deterred from continuing her journalism. She affirmed her belief in the importance of an informed citizenry to the health of Nigeria’s democracy.
“I think an informed citizenry is necessary for a strong democracy,” she said, before concluding: “But we will continue.”
The disclosure has drawn strong reactions on social media, with many Nigerians rallying behind the journalist. One commentator captured the prevailing sentiment: “It’s really shameful that this old man called Lere is threatening Adesuwa because she is doing her work as a journalist. She has done nothing wrong. Wike must explain to us why we have stopped having running water in FCT.”
As of the time of this report, neither Lere Olayinka nor the office of the FCT Minister has issued a public response to Giwa-Osagie’s allegations.
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