The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has granted a final 14-day grace period to property owners who violated land use and development regulations in Abuja’s upscale districts Asokoro, Maitama, Garki, and Wuse to regularise their titles and pay a N5 million violation fee.

A statement issued on Sunday by the Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said the new deadline takes effect from Tuesday, November 11, 2025. It warned that defaulters who fail to comply within the stipulated period would face enforcement actions by the FCT Administration.

The extension follows the expiration of an earlier 30-day window granted to affected allottees after public notices were issued between September 8 and 10, 2025.

Streets affected by the directive include Gana and Usuma Streets in Maitama; Yakubu Gowon Crescent in Asokoro; Aminu Kano and Adetokunbo Ademola Crescents in Wuse II; and Ladoke Akintola Boulevard, Gimbiya Street, and Onitsha Street in Garki II. Others are Ogbomosho Street, Lafia Close, Yola Street, Abriba Close, Danbatta Street, Ringim Close, and Ilorin Street in Garki I District.

According to the statement, Wike approved the issuance of fresh title documents, including Statutory Rights of Occupancy and Certificates of Occupancy, with a renewed 99-year term for property owners who meet all requirements.

However, the concession excludes titles already revoked for non-development, non-payment of ground rent, or other infractions.

Findings by The Guardian indicate that stricter land administration enforcement under Wike has pushed annual revenue from land-related charges in the FCT beyond ₦1 trillion, the highest in the territory’s history.

Officials of the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) and the Department of Land Administration attributed the surge to aggressive recovery of unpaid ground rents, fresh penalties, and increased processing fees for certificates and occupancy rights.

A senior FCTA official disclosed: “From about ₦40 billion generated last December, land revenue has been climbing steadily. At the current pace, we could hit ₦100 billion monthly by year-end, crossing the ₦1 trillion mark.”

Analysts also link the growth to heightened demand for plots, driven by the administration’s expansive road infrastructure programme across Abuja’s districts and area councils.

Among ongoing and completed projects are the Kabusa–Takushara and Kabusa–Ketti access roads, the 15km A2 Junction–Pia Road in Kwali, the Kwaita/Yebu Road, and several dual carriageways connecting Dutse, Gwagwalada, and Katampe.

Despite the infrastructural push, anxiety is rising among over 260,000 landowners and 443 estate developers affected by the minister’s two-year mandatory development policy.

Many fear that the stringent deadlines and new fees, including a 21-day payment requirement for acceptance and documentation, could trigger mass revocations and reallocation of plots to politically connected individuals.

Real estate developer Shehu Nuhu described the policy as “draconian,” arguing that it disregards prevailing economic hardship.

“The policy is not about development but about creating artificial breaches to enable reallocation of land under ministerial discretion,” he said.

Nuhu urged President Bola Tinubu to order an independent review of the FCT land reform framework and suspend ongoing revocations pending broad stakeholder consultations.

Residents such as Patrick Okoh and Nabel Ikame echoed similar concerns, noting that the cost of securing Certificates of Occupancy, ranging from ₦3.5 million to ₦6 million, including advisory fees, has become unaffordable for many citizens, especially civil servants.

Wike, however, insists the reforms aim to curb land speculation rather than dispossess rightful owners.

“Anyone who cannot develop a plot in two years is a speculator. Land in Abuja is not for decoration,” he said, adding that the 21-day deadline for fee payments is “reasonable and necessary” to boost efficiency and government revenue.

He maintained that he has the legal authority to enforce the new framework, which also covers regularisation of area council land titles, revised Right of Occupancy conditions, and titling of mass housing projects.

Checks by The Guardian revealed that the FCTA has issued a “no-going-back” directive on the seizure of 4,794 properties over unpaid ground rents, a figure insiders say has now exceeded 8,300.