The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will, from Wednesday, November 26, 2025, embark on a fresh round of enforcement against property owners who have failed to settle ground rent obligations, land use conversion penalties, and long-outstanding statutory charges tied to their Rights of Occupancy (R-of-O) and Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O).
The renewed clampdown, announced in Abuja yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka, marks the end of multiple grace periods earlier granted to thousands of defaulting title holders across the territory.
According to Olayinka, the latest action follows the expiration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s May 26, 2025 intervention, which approved a 14-day window for the payment of accumulated ground rent arrears—some spanning over four decades.
That grace lapsed on June 9, more than five months ago.
Similarly, the Administration had, in September, published a series of notices across national dailies announcing a reviewed land use/purpose clause for properties in premium districts such as Asokoro, Maitama, Garki and Wuse, attaching a violation fee of ₦5 million for unapproved land use conversion. A final 14-day extension on this category ends on Monday, November 24.
“With these windows now fully expired, enforcement begins without further delay,” Olayinka said.
He added that the exercise targets not only those who have failed to pay required fees, but also individuals and organisations occupying properties purchased from others but who have not regularised ownership by obtaining the mandatory Minister’s Consent or registering their Deeds of Assignment.
A Long Trail of Defaults
The upcoming enforcement builds on an earlier, controversial phase of operations in May when FCTA task teams moved to seal several properties including the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Wuse Zone 5, for persistent non-payment of ground rent.
That action sparked outrage within the PDP, whose then Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, described the shutdown as “the height of irresponsibility” and “an assault on democracy.”
Speaking after a National Caucus meeting, Damagum had fumed:
“Our office has been sealed. This is the height of irresponsibility from this government. If they are encouraging it, we will not take it lightly. They can come and arrest all of us. We condemn this in totality.”
However, investigations within the party painted a more complex picture. A senior PDP official, who requested anonymity, had admitted the party was in arrears but blamed missing documentation.
“The property housing our party has no particulars,” the official said. “There was no proper transfer of ownership. FCTA is right; we are owing ground rent. But even if we want to pay now, we cannot, because the documents required do not exist.”
But Olayinka, in defending the closure of the PDP secretariat at the time, insisted the action was “strictly administrative and in line with the law.”
“We are not here for politics,” he had said. “We sealed Ibro Hotels, Access Bank, FIRS, Total Petrol Station, and many others. Are those political targets too?
The Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwakwoeze, had also set the record straight on the scale of defaults:
“The owner of the PDP property owed 28 years of ground rent. The FIRS property owed 25 years. We keep accurate records. Let any defaulter present receipts if they have paid.”
He further revealed a pattern of disputed ownership claims and pointed out that
“Some organisations claim ownership of properties they occupy, but our records show otherwise. You must register your interest. If you don’t, you are not recognised.”
The FCTA had earlier announced it would commence takeover procedures on 4,794 properties revoked for non-payment of ground rent amounting to ₦6.96 billion over periods ranging from 10 to 43 years.
Many of the affected assets belong to private firms, government agencies, and wealthy individuals.
On May 26, during the initial enforcement phase, Nwakwoeze confirmed that the President’s intervention had temporarily halted mass takeovers by granting a fresh 14-day payment window.
With deadlines now expired, the Administration says there is no turning back.
“From Wednesday, November 26, the FCTA will begin enforcement on all categories of defaulters,” Olayinka reiterated yesterday.
“This includes ground rent, land use change fees, R-of-O, C-of-O charges, and unregistered transfers of ownership.”
The FCTA has vowed to sustain the exercise until all outstanding obligations are recovered and proper documentation restored to the Abuja land registry, warning that no individual or organisation—no matter how prominent—will be exempt.
As Abuja braces for another wave of property seals and possible legal battles, the Administration insists the exercise is essential to sanitising the city’s land administration system and ensuring compliance with statutory obligations long ignored by many title holders.
