FAVOUR ISHEMBER, Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has approved the revocation of 4,794 land titles due to non-payment of Ground Rent for over 40 years.
This decision affects property owners in the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape districts.
A total of 8,375 property owners have not paid Ground Rent in the last 43 years, with a cumulative debt of N6,967,980,119 as of 2024. The FCT Administration (FCTA) had made numerous attempts to notify defaulters through national newspapers and broadcast media since 2023 but received little response.
According to Lere Olayinka, the Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, and Chijioke Nwankwoeze, the FCTA Director of Lands, payment of Ground Rent is mandatory under extant legislation.
The terms and conditions of the grant of Right of Occupancy clearly stipulate that Ground Rent is due for payment on January 1st of each year.
The affected districts include:
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),
Guzape (Cadastral Zone A09).
The revocation of land titles is in line with Section 28, Subsections 5(a) and (b) of the Land Use Act. Property owners with outstanding Ground Rent payments between one and ten years,have been given a 21-day grace period to settle their debts before facing revocation.
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