Channels Television has dismissed claims by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, that the land housing its headquarters in Abuja was merely allocated to the station without payment.
Wike had, during a media chat on Wednesday, questioned the ownership of the property located in Guzape, arguing that the broadcaster was profiting from public property allocated by the government.
“The land that you built Channels on is public land. You are making money out of the public property. Did you buy it? No. It was allocated to you,” the minister said while defending payments made for the live broadcast of the interview.
Responding during its Thursday broadcast, Channels Television described the minister’s remarks as inaccurate, insisting that the land was legally acquired and all statutory payments were made in full.
The media organisation stated that the plot was officially allocated to Channels Television on March 6, 2007, for commercial purposes by the then FCT administration.
“It is not correct. The property which houses our national headquarters in the Guzape area of Abuja was allocated to CTV on March 6, 2007, for commercial purposes by the then FCT minister,” the station said.
“We can confirm that all required fees and charges were fully paid.”
Channels Television also defended the fees paid for the live transmission of the minister’s media chat, explaining that such broadcasts involve significant operational costs, including the deployment of outside broadcast vans, technical crew and airtime resources.
“Our fees are out there. We are a news and broadcast media organisation. So, if you are going to lock down one, two, or three hours of airtime, of course you will pay,” the station added.
The broadcaster further stated that it would continue to uphold professionalism and maintain the credibility it has built over the past three decades by asking “the right questions.”
Channels Television also urged the FCT minister to provide clarification on allegations relating to lands allegedly allocated to journalists, stressing that all applicable fees attached to such allocations should be duly paid.