The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has announced that the FCTA will begin sealing off properties in Abuja whose owners have failed to pay their outstanding ground rent, despite repeated grace periods granted by President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking during a media parley in Abuja on Monday, Wike expressed disappointment that many defaulters had ignored the government’s leniency, saying over three months had passed since the President extended a two-week grace period.
“Mr. President said two weeks, we are more than three months [since the grace period]. That is Nigeria for you. We have just finished a programme. I am going to seal up all those properties,” the Minister declared.
Wike emphasized that property owners could no longer be allowed to deny the FCT administration the revenue it needs for infrastructure development and public services.
“You can’t deny us the taxes we use for development. Pay us the taxes that you are supposed to pay, you said, ‘No’,” he said.
The Minister warned that claims of political targeting or investor intimidation would not deter the enforcement action.
“If you have not complied, if you have not paid, we are going to seal it up. This is what we cannot continue to allow in this country.”
In May 2025, the FCTA began revoking and sealing up 4,794 properties over long-standing ground rent defaults some spanning up to 43 years. Affected properties included those owned by individuals, corporate organizations, and even government agencies. Among the high-profile closures was the PDP national secretariat (Wadata Plaza).
Following President Tinubu’s intervention, defaulters were granted a 14-day grace period to settle their outstanding rent and penalties. While some complied, others failed to do so, prompting the latest crackdown.
The FCTA has maintained that ground rent is a statutory obligation and warned that failure to pay will lead to legal action, including revocation of titles and forfeiture of property access.
