Pastor Sarah Omakwu kneels, begs Wike over Jabi Lake land [VIDEO]

The Senior Pastor of Family Worship Centre, Abuja, Sarah Omakwu, has appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to halt any plan to allocate the Jabi Lake recreation area for private development.

Omakwu made the appeal in a video shared on her Instagram page on Sunday, where she was seen kneeling on the pulpit while addressing the minister.

In the video, she said she could not confront the minister but chose instead to plead “as a mother,” urging that the Jabi Lake Recreation Centre be preserved for public use.

According to her, the facility serves as a vital social and economic hub where residents exercise, trade, interact and host events.

She stressed that the space also provides leisure for young people and a venue for watching sporting activities, appealing to the minister not to hand it over to private interests.

Omakwu further raised concerns about the gradual loss of public spaces in Abuja, citing the restricted access to Aso Rock over time as an example.

She urged the minister to protect the Jabi Lake area for the benefit of all residents, reiterating her plea for the land to remain accessible to the public.

Despite her concerns, the cleric commended Wike for ongoing infrastructure development across the Federal Capital Territory, particularly road projects that have improved mobility within the city.

Her appeal comes months after the Federal Capital Territory Administration entered into agreements with private firms to redevelop the Jabi Lake area into a major recreational hub.

In February, the FCTA signed a development partnership with Suburban Broadband Limited and Akida Hills Limited to upgrade the facility and boost tourism in Abuja.

Wike had said the initiative was aimed at repositioning the nation’s capital as a destination for leisure and economic activities.

𝗔𝗯𝘂𝗷𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝗺𝗮𝗸𝘄𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀, 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗯𝗶 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱

The Senior Pastor of Family Worship Centre, Abuja, Sarah Omakwu, has appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, not to allocate the Jabi Lake… pic.twitter.com/D5GiJqZHMI

— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) May 4, 2026