NIGERIA: FCT ground rent defaulters get 14-day reprieve
Nigeria’s minister of the federal capital territory, Nyesom Wike, had initiated a crackdown on properties with unpaid ground rent, resulting in the sealing of several high-profile properties, including those belonging to Access Bank, Total Energy, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national secretariat.
However, following President Bola Tinubu’s intervention, the FCT Administration granted a 14-day grace period to defaulters to settle their outstanding ground rent and associated penalties.
The Director of Land Administration in the FCT, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, announced that property owners in various districts would face different penalties. The penalties range from N2 million to N5 million in addition to the owed ground rent, depending on the location of the property.
For instance, defaulters in the Central Area will pay N5 million as a penalty, while those in Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse II, and Guzape districts will pay N3 million. Property owners in Wuse I, Garki I, and Garki II will be required to pay N2 million as a penalty.
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The FCTA also directed property buyers who have yet to register their interests by obtaining the mandatory Minister’s Consent and registering their Deeds of Assignment to do so within 14 days at the FCT Department of Land Administration.
Some affected institutions, such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), disputed the allegations of unpaid ground rent. The FIRS claimed it had paid the ground rent for its offices in Abuja but was not issued a receipt.
The development has sparked controversy, with some critics arguing that the penalty for non-payment is too harsh. The Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) stated that failure to pay ground rent should attract a penalty rather than forfeiture as a primary recourse.
