Due to President Bola Tinubu’s intervention, defaulters have been given a 14-day grace period to pay their ground rents and related penalties after the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration sealed a number of buildings on Monday.
Lere Olayinka, the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, verified this in a statement.
Olayinka stated that in addition to the ground rent due, defaulters will be required to pay N5 million as a penalty for properties located in the Central Area.
In addition to the unpaid ground rent, residents in Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse II, and Guzape Districts would be required to pay a penalty of N3 million.
In addition to the unpaid ground rent, defaulters in Wuse I, Garki I, and Garki II would be required to pay a penalty of N2 million.
Additionally, anyone who has bought real estate from someone else but has not yet registered their rights by registering their Deeds of Assignment and receiving the required Minister’s Consent has two weeks (14 days) to do so at the FCT Department of Land Administration.
According to the statement, Wike also gave all property owners in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) a grace period of 14 days, or two weeks, to settle their Right of Occupancy (R-of-O) and Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) bills, failing which their titles will be revoked.
It further stated that in order to allow the government to continue carrying out essential developmental projects for the betterment of the populace, the Minister has asked property owners in the FCT to make sure they pay all bills and charges on their properties as soon as they become due.
On Monday, the FCTA began enforcing the 4,794 properties that had been revoked for non-payment of ground rent, ranging in duration from 10 to 43 years.
Affected properties included those held by individuals, corporations, and government agencies.
The Wadata Plaza, which houses the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is among the structures impacted.
Other complexes included the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and a commercial bank located in the nation’s capital’s Wuse Zone 5.
However, the PDP has called the closure of its secretariat irresponsible and denounced it.
Acting PDP Chairman Umar Damagum promised the party would contest the action in a news briefing following a caucus meeting on Monday.
