ABUJA, Nigeria — Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has warned property owners in Abuja who have failed to pay their ground rent that the grace period for settling their debts has ended.
Speaking to officials in Abuja on Friday, August 8, 2025, Wike said the administration had allowed “so much time” for defaulters to comply and would now begin enforcement. “Initially, we gave two weeks.
It has passed one month, two months, three months,” he said.
“You know how Nigerians are; if you don’t take steps, nothing will happen.”
In May, the FCT administration sealed several properties over alleged non-payment of ground rent spanning between 10 and 43 years.
The properties were later unsealed after President Bola Tinubu intervened, granting owners a 14-day ultimatum to settle the arrears.
Wike said the revenue from ground rent payments was essential for funding development projects in the capital.
He directed the directors of land, Abuja Geographic Information System, development control, and urban and regional planning to “work tirelessly” to implement the recovery process.
“For all those owing, from the ones we have published up to 2025, you have to provide the list so that we can commence immediate implementation,” he added.
