Tempers continue to flare in Abuja over the repossession of properties exercise of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), but President Bola Tinubu appears to have stepped into the fray and cooled tempers, giving defaulters of ground rent in parts of the Federal Capital City a 14-day grace period to pay outstanding the rent and associated penalties.
But the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) is not finding the sealing of its office in Wuse funny and has demanded an apology from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA). It describes the storming and sealing of two out of its several offices on the same street as an “embarrassing invasion.”
So also is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which member Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Olabode George, berated FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for his actions against the PDP by sealing its national headquarters.
His words: “In regards to the locking up of our Party Secretariat, it is absolutely sacrilegious, unacceptable and culturally inadmissible.
“The minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Wike—this is the party that brought you to life,” he said.
“It’s like going back to your village and your family house hasn’t paid some ground rent, and you, as the local government chairman, lock it up. How much were we owing? Seven million naira—which you could easily pay,” he stated.
“I want to challenge him that they should go and check that the property being used by APC at their headquarters in Abuja, could probably be the same thing. People could be careless. It is not a monumental amount of money,” he said.
“This public odium being put on PDP is enough for the party to look back and sit up,” he stated. “Wike has to be very careful because someday, there will be an end to this ministry and he will be somewhere else tomorrow. What will you be remembered for?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Mr Chijoke Nwankwoeze, Director of Land, FCTA, disclosed at a press conference in Abuja that Tinubu gave the 14-day moratorium.
Nwankwoeze explained that Tinubu’s intervention followed the vigorous enforcement of the takeover of 4,794 revoked properties in the FCT by the Administration.
The revoked properties owe the FCTA more than N6 billion in unpaid ground rent, with arrears ranging from 10 to 43 years.
Sealed, apart PDP Secretariat and FIRS buidings were the Chinese Cultural Centre, Ibro Hotel, Total Energy Petrol Station, Mamuda Group Warehouse, and the Wuse premises of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
The director said that properties owned by government institutions, corporate organisations, and individuals were affected, demonstrating the FCT Administration’s commitment to carrying out its duties without fear or favour.
Following Tinubu’s directive, holders of the affected properties now have 14 days to pay the outstanding ground rents along with penalties.
Nwankwoeze explained that defaulters in the Central Area must pay a penalty of N5 million in addition to their ground rent arrears.
“Those in Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse II, and Guzape districts will pay N3 million, while defaulters in Wuse I, Garki I, and Garki II will pay N2 million as penalties alongside their owed rents.”
He further urged individuals who purchased properties but had not yet registered their ownership by obtaining the mandatory Minister’s Consent and registering their Deeds of Assignment to do so within 14 days.
Affected property owners were advised to visit the FCT Department of Land Administration to complete registration by obtaining the required Minister’s Consent.
Nwankwoeze also announced that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike had given a similar 14-day grace period for all property holders to pay their Right of Occupancy or Certificate of Occupancy bills, warning that failure to do so might result in revocation.
“Going forward, the minister has advised all property owners in the FCT to ensure timely payment of all necessary bills and charges.
“This will enable the government to continue carrying out vital developmental projects for the benefit of the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, the FIRS expressed outrage at the enforcement action taken by FCTA officials, who reportedly sealed off FIRS offices located at No. 12 and No. 14 Sokode Crescent, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja.
The tax authority described the action as unjustified and said it was carried out in error, insisting that the alleged debt had been settled long before the incident.
According to the Director of Facility Management at the FIRS, Mr. Tyofa Abeghe, the Service received a demand notice from the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) in September 2023 requesting payment for ground rent covering 25 years on the properties in question.
He stated that FIRS responded within three months by paying a total of N2,364,003.26, which covered the outstanding rent from the year 2000 to 2024.
Abeghe added that although payment was made promptly, no treasury receipt was issued to confirm the transaction.
Frustrated by the lack of acknowledgement, the FIRS sent a follow-up letter dated February 19, 2024, seeking confirmation and an official receipt for the payment. According to him, the letter was duly acknowledged at the front desk of AGIS but was never responded to.
“This action by the FCTA is unjustifiable,” Abeghe said. “We honoured the demand notice, made the payment, and followed up to get a receipt. Instead of resolving the matter administratively, they chose to storm our offices and seal them.”
Reacting further, the Special Adviser on Infrastructure to the FIRS, Kunle Ogidi, criticised the conduct of the FCTA officials, describing it as a clear case of administrative negligence. He maintained that if due diligence had been carried out, it would have revealed that the payment was already made.
“As a law-abiding agency, FIRS does not owe ground rent on any of its properties in the FCT, including the ones targeted by this action,” Ogidi said.
On his part, the FIRS Special Adviser on Media, Dare Adekanmbi, questioned the logic behind the FCTA’s claims. “FIRS has about seven offices in Sokode Crescent alone. Why would we pay ground rent on some and refuse to pay on just two? Does that make sense?” he asked.
He reiterated that the payment of N2,364,003.26 was made to cover the fiscal years in question and that the failure of the relevant FCTA agency to issue a receipt should not be grounds for public embarrassment of a federal institution.
FIRS is demanding a formal apology from the FCTA for the incident, insisting that the sealing of its offices was not only unnecessary but also damaging to inter-agency collaboration and public trust.
● Additional report by The Nation.
