The minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike has revoked 4,794 land titles in Abuja, over alleged failure to pay Ground Rent for over 40 years.
It was reported that a total of 8,375 property owners in the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Guzape, Asokoro, and Maitama, have not paid any Ground Rent in the last 40 years.
According to Vanguard, this was disclosed at a press conference in Abuja by Lere Olayinka, the minister’s senior special assistant on public communications and social media and Chijioke Nwankwoeze, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Director of Lands.
The minister explained that the FCTA made several publications in national newspapers and numerous announcements on broadcast media as far back as 2023, where defaulters are called out to pay their outstanding bills and ground rents. However, several allottees failed to respond to government calls.
Why Wike revoke over 4000 lands in Abuja?
They stressed that the payment of Ground Rent on landed properties at the Nigerian capital was backed by the extant legislation. This is stated in the terms and conditions of the grant of Rights of Occupation and it has to be renewed every first day of January each year, even without demand.
Their statement reads in part:
“Consequently, a list of land titles in default of payment of Ground Rent has been compiled in the ten oldest districts of Phase 1 of the Federal Capital City (FCC). They are; Central Area District (Cadastral Zone A00), Garki I (Cadastral Zone A01), Wuse I (Cadastral Zone A02), Garki II (Cadastral Zone A03), Asokoro (Cadastral Zone A04), Maitama (Cadastral Zone A05), Maitama (Cadastral Zone A06), Wuse II (Cadastral Zone A07), Wuse II (Cadastral Zone A08) and Guzape (Cadastral Zone A09).”
They explained that as of December 2024, a total of 8,375 property owners in the FCT owed the government a total of N6,967,980,119. This simply means that a total of 8,375 property owners have not paid their ground rent up to December last year.
The government then disclosed that no less than 4,794 land titles have entered default in Ground Rent payment for over 10 years. It explained that what this referred to was that a total of 4,794 property owners owed the government in the last 10 years.
Speaker speaks on his Abuja land revoke
Legit.ng earlier reported that Abbas Tajudeen, the speaker of the House of Representatives, has denied the report that he was yet to make outstanding payments of the land allocated to him in Abuja.
Abbas, in a statement, disclosed that he was only allocated one land in the FCT and that he had paid his dues since October, earlier in 2024.
The FCTA, under Nyesom Wike’s watch, has earlier listed names of prominent Nigerians, including Abbas, as not paying their dues and threatened to revoke their lands.
