By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: The Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA said it will next Monday begin to take possession of the 4,794 properties revoked over non-payment of Ground Rents for between 10 and 43 years.

The administration said it will take possession of the properties without consideration of their ownership.

Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, alongside the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze and Director, Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, disclosed this at a news conference Friday in Abuja.

On March 19, 2025, the administration revoked the Wadata Plaza national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Wuse Zone 5 for serial non-payment of ground rents.

While administration officials said the plaza is privately owned and does not belong to the PDP, they said its owner, one Samaila Mamman Kofi, who bought it from Wadata and got his papers registered by way of Assignment, owes 28 years worth of ground rent from 1998 to 2025, which is computed to be N2.84 million.

Other properties whose title where revoked, according to the FCTA included those of the Nigeria Postal Authority, the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN, Nigerian National Petroleum Company NNPC, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, the National Universities Commission NUC, the Borno State Government, the Nigeria Delta Development Corporation NDDC, the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria FRCN, the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company among others.

They said, “Ownership of the revoked 4,794 properties in the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama and Guzape districts, had already reverted to the FCTA, and as from Monday, next week, the government will begin to exercise its rights of ownership on the affected landed properties.

“As usual, this will be done without consideration as to ownership of the affected landed properties. It will be purely in line with extant laws and regulations guiding the process.”

Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, explained that affected properties will be sealed up and access to them restricted as from Monday. He said the FCTA will decide what to do with the affected properties in due course.

Dismissing claims that some affected property owners had gone to court, the Director of Lands, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, said there was no court decision on the revocation, and so the FCTA is not restricted in the discharge of its lawful functions on the affected properties.

Nwankwoeze added that the FCTA was already compiling records of compliance and non-compliance of title holders who were in default of payment of Ground Rents for between one to ten years, who were given a grace of 21 days to pay up.

According to him, government will act accordingly as soon as the records are fully compiled and analysed.

He said, “Recall that on March 18, 2025, we informed you of the revocation of 4,794 land titles in the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama and Guzape districts.

“These 4,794 properties were among the total of 8,375 land titles on which Ground Rent was not paid from one year to 43 years.

“We did say then that consequent upon the revocation of these titles, ownership of the affected properties has reverted to the Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA.

“As from Monday, May 26, 2025, the FCTA will begin to take possession of the affected properties, using relevant agencies of government.

“As usual, this will be done without consideration as to ownership of the affected properties. It will be purely in line with extant laws and regulations guiding the process.

“Recall too that a grace of 21 Days was given to title holders that were in default of payment of Ground Rent for between one and ten years, to pay up or have their land titles revoked.

“Relevant agencies of the FCTA are already compiling records of compliance and non-compliance with this directive, with a view to acting accordingly.

“It is important to state that payment of Ground Rent on landed properties in the FCT is founded on extant legislation. It is clearly stipulated in the terms and conditions of grant of Right of Occupancy, and it is due for payment on the first day of January, each year, without demand.

“In March, this year, list of land titles in default of payment of Ground Rent was compiled in the ten oldest districts of Phase 1 of the Federal Capital City (FCC), namely; 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).

“In the listed districts, a total of 4,794 land titles were in default of Ground rent payment for 10 years and above. As at then, a total of N6,967,980,119 was being owed as Ground Rent by 8,375 property owners.

“This contravenes the terms and conditions of grant of the Rights of Occupancy, in line with the provisions of Section 28, Subsections 5(a) and (b) of the Land Use Act.

“Consequently, the titles of the properties in default were revoked in March 2025.

“Therefore, from Monday, May 26, 2025, the FCTA will begin to exercise its lawful rights of taking possession of these revoked properties.”