Abuja, Nigeria | May 23, 2025
By Andrew Haruna
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced it will, from Monday, May 26, 2025, begin to take possession of 4,794 properties whose titles were revoked in March due to non-payment of ground rents ranging from 10 to 43 years.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka, along with the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, and the Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, confirmed that the FCTA will enforce the revocations without consideration of current ownership.
The move follows the March 18, 2025 revocation notice affecting land titles in key districts such as Central Area, Garki I & II, Wuse I & II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape. The administration said the affected properties were part of a broader list of 8,375 properties whose owners collectively owed over ₦6.96 billion in ground rents.
Notable Affected Institutions
Among the revoked titles are those belonging to high-profile public and private entities including:
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Wadata Plaza, the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
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Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
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Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC)
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Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
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Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST)
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National Universities Commission (NUC)
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Borno State Government
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Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)
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Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN)
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Federal Ministry of Environment
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Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company
FCTA officials clarified that Wadata Plaza, for instance, is privately owned and does not belong to the PDP. The current owner, Samaila Mamman Kofi, reportedly purchased it through assignment in 1998 and owes 28 years’ worth of ground rent, totaling ₦2.84 million.
Enforcement to Begin Monday
Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, stated that all affected properties will be sealed, and access restricted beginning next Monday, while further administrative decisions will be made on the assets.
“This exercise will be carried out strictly in accordance with extant laws and regulations, regardless of the property owners’ identity or status,” Galadima said.
Legal Backing and Next Steps
Addressing claims that some property owners had gone to court to challenge the revocations, Director of Lands, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, asserted that no restraining court orders have been issued, and the FCTA is lawfully empowered to proceed.
He emphasized that ground rent obligations are grounded in the Land Use Act, and are clearly stipulated in the terms and conditions of every Right of Occupancy.
Additionally, Nwankwoeze said the administration is finalizing assessments on defaulters who owe ground rents between one and ten years, and will take appropriate action once data compilation is complete. A 21-day grace period had been earlier given to these categories of defaulters.
