By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, is intensifying a crackdown on diplomatic missions and other institutions in Abuja for long-standing outstanding ground rent owed to the FCTA.
Wike’s directive, issued on May 26 and upheld through enforcement this week, applies to nearly 4,800 properties including 34 embassies that have not paid ground rent since 2014, accumulating arrears on a staggering N3.66 million.
The affected embassies range from Ghana, Thailand, Côte d’Ivoire, Russia, the Philippines, to Guinea, Uganda, Iraq, Zambia, and others.
Penalty fees of N2 million to N3 million were also imposed depending on location.
In launching the campaign, Wike reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the principle that access to infrastructure is contingent upon timely payment of dues.
He emphasised that resistance to paying what is owed jeopardises the FCT’s ability to fund essential public services, warning elite property owners that he “will not succumb to blackmail”.
President Bola Tinubu intervened to extend a 14‑day grace period, ending today, to all defaulters,state and foreign, encouraging them to regularise their obligations before enforcement actions resume.
Non-compliance could trigger revocations, lockouts, or further legal recourse, Wike cautioned.
Diplomatic missions and officials have launched vigorous denials.
The Russian and Turkish embassies each stated they had paid ground rent in good faith and may have been wrongly included.
The German embassy disclosed it had no notice of any debts and had settled all dues as of end-2024.
Former ambassador Ogbole Amedu‑Ode, referencing the 1961 Vienna Convention, stressed that while diplomatic premises are inviolable, they must still comply with local property regulations.
Another analyst warned that attempts to physically seize diplomatic property may provoke international legal challenges .
Meanwhile, high-profile domestic entities including the PDP’s national secretariat, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and the Anti‑Trafficking Agency (NAPTIP) were also listed as defaulters but have since reportedly settled their debts.
Wike has hinted at possible increases in ground rent across the FCT, citing rampant 20- to 30-year arrears and stressing the need for revenue streams to support infrastructure developments.
Despite resistance and diplomatic pushback, he stands firm on the enforcement stance as a test of accountability and fiscal discipline in the nation’s capital.
The fate of the remaining embassy defaulters now hangs in the balance as the grace period ends.
