FCTA Issues Ultimatum: Over 3,000 Land Titles, Including That of Ex-Minister, at Risk Over Unpaid Ground Rent Abuja, Nigeria The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has issued a stern 14-day deadline to thousands of property owners in Abuja including former FCT Minister, top government agencies, diplomatic missions, religious institutions, and private firms warning of imminent revocation of land titles over unpaid ground rent.
In a public notice released on Monday, the FCTA revealed that a total of 3,383 plots of land across strategic districts of the Federal Capital Territory, such as Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse, Guzape, and the Central Area, are affected. The landowners face the potential loss of their Right of Occupancy (R-of-O) and Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) due to outstanding rent accumulated over the past decade from 2014 to 2024.
Who’s on the List?
The sweeping list of defaulters spans nine categories, ranging from government bodies and foreign embassies to high-profile individuals and multinational corporations.
Among the Nigerian government institutions cited are the Nigerian Navy, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Debt Management Office (DMO), Department of Petroleum Resources, and the Federal High Court. Several state liaison offices, including those of Kwara, Benue, Osun, Zamfara, Katsina, Imo, and Enugu, also appear on the list.
Diplomatic missions named include embassies of Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Canada, India, Thailand, Ethiopia, Venezuela, and North Korea.
Major private sector names such as Huawei Technologies, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Union Bank, Standard Construction Ltd, and Elbe Pharma Ltd are also listed.
Faith-based organizations such as the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, National Mosque Council, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, and Jama’atu Nasril Islam have been identified as defaulters.
Prominent individuals include Gado Nasko, a former FCT Minister; Aisha Alhassan, Mathew Nwagwu, Alexander Okafor, and Dominic Oneya, among others.
FCTA’s Warning and Payment Instructions
In its statement, the FCTA emphasized that ground rent payments are mandatory and should be made annually in advance from January 1st, in accordance with the terms of land occupancy.
“Allottees and title holders who have not fulfilled their ground rent obligations up to 2024 are hereby given 14 days from the date of this publication to clear their arrears,” the statement read. “Failure to do so will lead to revocation of affected titles.”
The administration directed payments through the Remita platform under the FCT Department of Land Administration.
Recent Crackdown and Presidential Intervention
The ultimatum follows a series of enforcement actions. In recent weeks, FCTA officials sealed several properties, including the PDP National Secretariat, Access Bank, FIRS, Ibro Hotel, and Total Energy premises in Abuja, over long-standing arrears.
According to FCTA’s Director of Lands, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, some properties had not paid rent for over two decades. For example, the FIRS office in Wuse Zone 5 reportedly owed 25 years of rent, while the Access Bank building in Wuse I had not paid in 34 years.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, however, has reportedly directed a temporary suspension of further property sealings, pending a detailed review of the enforcement process.
Wike’s Reform Agenda
Since his appointment in August 2023, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has launched an aggressive campaign to sanitize land administration and recover revenues owed to the capital territory.
Earlier this year, the Minister revoked over 4,700 titles on account of prolonged rent defaults spanning as far back as 43 years. In another move in late 2023, the FCTA withdrew certificates of occupancy for 165 undeveloped plots, citing non-compliance with development timelines.
High-profile individuals affected in those earlier waves included Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Cross River governor Liyel Imoke, ex-Minister Udo Udoma, and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Ufot Ekaette.
Wike has defended the controversial measures, insisting they are in the public interest. He also announced plans to cap the cost of obtaining a C-of-O at ₦5 million, with a four-month payment window, and pledged to eradicate multiple allocations of the same plots.
