The Federal Government has strongly urged high-ranking officials, agencies, and leading commercial banks to promptly settle their outstanding ground rent payments or risk losing their land titles.
According to Punch, this warning targets key figures, including President Bola Tinubu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), as well as several state governments.
On Monday, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) published a list of over 9,000 individuals and entities who have defaulted on ground rent payments, giving them a two-week deadline to clear their 2023 dues.
Failure to comply within the stipulated time will result in the forfeiture of their land titles, the FCTA warned.
The FCTA emphasized that all land title holders in the Federal Capital Territory are required to pay annual ground rent at the start of each year, as per their Statutory Rights of Occupancy.
Property owners, including those who bought Federal Government Houses in the FCT, were advised to settle their 2023 ground rent dues by the two-week deadline or risk title revocation, as stated in the notice.
Prominent names on the list include former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika, ex-Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun, former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, and former Federal Commissioner of Internal Affairs Umaru Shinkafi.
Also named were former governors Rotimi Amaechi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Isa Yuguda, and Donald Duke.
Among the owing MDAs were the Federal Housing Authority, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Finance, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Federal High Court, Code of Conduct Bureau, and several state government lodges, including those of Imo, Lagos, Benue, Ondo, Oyo, Bauchi, Delta, Kaduna, and Kogi.
In November 2023, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike extended the ground rent payment deadline to December, reiterating that non-compliance would have serious consequences, countering assumptions that the directive was merely symbolic.
FCT Director of Information Muhammad Sule stated that the FCTA expects to collect approximately N30 billion from these ground rent payments. He noted that in response to strong interest from affected allottees, the minister has extended the payment deadline to December 14, 2023.
