Owners of the 4,794 properties in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) with revoked land titles yesterday got a 14-day presidential reprieve.
The waiver followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s intervention in the takeover of the first batch of the properties by Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) teams.
Director, FCT Department of Land Administration, Mr. Chijioke Nwankwoeze made known the Presidential intervention.
The FCTA last week announced that the properties will be seal-off yesterday.
FIRS premises and Wadata Plaza, the headquarters of opposition Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and Access Bank office are among the high-profile properties sealed by FCTA officials for owing ground rents ranging from 10 to 43 years.
Nwankwoeze told reporters that owners of properties in the Central Area of Abuja would, apart from settling their ground rent, pay N5 million penalty.
Those with properties in Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse II and Guzape districts will pay the ground rents as well as N3 million penalty each. Defaulters in Wuse I, Garki I and Garki II will pay N2 million as penalty and the ground rents owed.
He added that those yet to obtain the mandatory minister’s consent and register their Deeds of Assignment after purchasing properties have 14 days to do so at FCT Department of Land Administration.
He added that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike granted a two-week grace period to all property holders in the FCT to pay for Right of Occupancy (R-of-O)/Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) bills, or risk the revocation of their titles.
“Going forward, the minister has advised property owners in the FCT to ensure that they pay all necessary bills and charges on their properties as an when due, so as to enable the government to continue to carry out necessary developmental projects for the benefit of the people,” said the director.
FIRS demands apology
The President met with FIRS Executive Chairman Zach Adedeji, whose offices were affected by the temporary seal-off.
No statement was issued by the Presidency after the meeting.
But FIRS, in its statement, described the FCTA’s action as “malicious and unprofessional.”
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It wondered why FCTA would carry out such an “embarrassing invasion” of its office after it had been paid N2,364,003.26 covering outstanding rent from 2000 to 2024.
Demanding an apology from the FCTA, FIRS said: “This action by the FCTA is unjustifiable.
‘’We honoured the demand notice, made the payment, and followed up to get a receipt. Instead of resolving the matter administratively, they chose to storm our offices and seal them.”
The sealed properties
At Wuse District, the FCTA officials sealed a number of properties, including the FIRS premises, Ibro Hotel, Plot 534, Cadastral Zone A02 belonging to Total PLC and Access Bank office at Plot 2456 owned by Rana Taher Furniture Nigeria Limited.
The Access Bank office building has unpaid 34 years ground rent.
Lere Olayinka, special assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to FCT Minister, said the action complied with Section 28(5) of the Land Use Act.
Clarifying the legal status of the properties, Land Administration director Nwankwoeze, stated that the affected titles had reverted to the government.
He said that the action was not aimed at the current occupants, but the title holders
The FCTA also revealed that as of March, over N6.9 billion in ground rent was owed by 8,375 title holders—an amount deemed unacceptable in light of FCTA’s push to boost internally generated revenue.
It warned that the enforcement will expand to the Central Business Area, Garki, Asokoro and Maitama in the coming days.
Nwankwoeze said that Wadata Plaza, which is owned by Senator Samaila Kofi, had been marked many times for defaulting on ground rent payments for over 28 years.
He said: “We are now at Wadata Plaza, where the PDP is occupying, that’s the property belonging to Senator Samaila Mamman Kofi. I think this is the ninth or 10th site that we visited today(Monday) and that we are sealing.”
The director revealed that the property was revoked in March and occupants asked to vacate it.
“Senator Samaila Mamman Kofi was duly served the revocation notice and out of abundance of caution, we also came here and pasted the revocation notice. ”
Clarifying ownership disputes, he stated, “Some of them, like FIRS, claim they own the property. But in our records, they don’t. If you buy property, you have to register your interest.”
Nwankwoeze further explained that “the property which FIRS is occupying is owned by Fortunate Case Limited.
‘’When we got there, FIRS said they owned the property, but obviously, they didn’t do what they needed to do so that they would be recognised as the owners.”