- Thirty-four foreign embassies in Abuja might allegedly face closure due to their failure to pay ground rent over an 11-year period.
- Landowners have to pay an amount to the government for utilizing the land; according to the FCTA, responsible for managing Abuja, these diplomatic missions together owe NGN 3,662,196 from 2014 onwards.
- On May 26, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike instructed that enforcement actions be taken against 4,794 properties with outstanding ground rents ranging from 10 to 43 years.
FCT, Abuja - Thirty-four embassies in Abuja face potential closure by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) due to outstanding ground rent payments covering an 11-year period.
As mentioned on Monday, June 9, by The Punch The defaulting embassies listed include: the Ghana High Commission Defence Section (NGN 5,950); the Embassy of Thailand (NGN 5,350); the Embassy of Côte d'Ivoire (NGN 5,500); the Embassy of the Russian Federation (NGN 1,100); the Embassy of the Philippines (NGN 5,950); the Royal Netherlands Embassy (NGN 5,950); the Embassy of Turkey (NGN 3,350); and the Embassy of the Republic of Guinea (NGN 5,950).
Embassy closures at risk due to ground rent issues for 34 diplomatic missions
Business Day also acknowledged the alleged scheme by the FCTA.
According to a report released by the FCTA, numerous foreign missions have failed to pay their ground rents since 2014, resulting in an accumulated debt of N3,662,196 for all the impacted diplomatic missions.
It should be remembered that on Monday, May 26, Nyesom Wike, who serves as the minister for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), instructed FCT authorities to start enforcing action against 4,794 properties whose titles had been rescinded because their owners had failed to pay ground rents ranging from 10 to 43 years.
However, President Bola Tinubu stepped in and granted a reprieve of 14 days, ending today on Monday, June 9th, for those with overdue payments to resolve their debts.
Chijioke Nwankwoeze, who leads the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s land department, announced that the individuals failing to comply will be charged penalty fees of N2 million and N3 million each, based on where they are located.
The other purportedly delinquent missions on the roster include the Irish embassy with an owed amount of N500, the Ugandan embassy owing N5,950, the Iraqi embassy debt at N550, and the Zambia High Commission which has an outstanding sum of N1,189,990.
Included as well are the Tanzania High Commission (\$6,000), German Embassy (\$1,000), Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo (\$5,950), Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (\$459,055), Embassy of the Republic of Korea (\$5,950), and the High Commission of Trinidad and Tobago (\$500).
The Egyptian Embassy (N5,950), Chadian Embassy (N5,950), Sierra Leone Commission (N5,900), Indian High Commission (N150), Sudanese Embassy (N5,950), Nigerian Embassy (N500), and Kenyan High Commission (N5,950) are also included in the list of delinquents.
Other embassies include those of Zimbabwe (N500), Ethiopia (N5,950), and Indonesia (Defense Attaché), with an unpaid amount of N1,718,211 remaining.
The representation from the European Union (N1,500), the Swiss Embassy (N5,950), the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia (N5,950), the Chinese Economic and Commercial Counselor’s Office (N12,000), the South African High Commission (N4,950), and the Government of Equatorial Guinea (N1,137,240) were included as well.
Here is a list of embassies that might be closed in Abuja below:
- Embassy of Ireland
- Uganda Embassy
- Iraq Embassy
- Zambia High Commission
- Embassy of Switzerland
- Saudi Arabian Royal Embassy
- The Chinese Economic and Commercial Counselor’s Office
- South African High Commission
- Government of Equatorial Guinea
- Russian Embassy
Kingibe addresses Wike over ground rent issue
Earlier, Smart Tecno.ng It has been reported that Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), criticized Wike for initiating the closure of properties in Nigeria’s capital due to outstanding ground rent payments. She argued that such actions were unlawful.
In a statement, the FCT senator expressed certain reservations regarding the actions taken by the FCTA involving the sealing of properties.
Kingibe further stated that for clarity, the ground rent, consistent with the Lands (Title Vesting, etc) Act of 1975, should not serve as an excuse for taking over properties unjustly.
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