Residents and property owners in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are anxiously awaiting the next move by the FCT Administration following the expiration of the 14-day grace period for defaulters owing ground rents.
The grace window, which ended on Monday, June 16, was approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu after an initial wave of property revocations and enforcements by the FCT Administration.
Over 4,700 titles had been revoked for unpaid ground rents spanning between 10 and 43 years before the presidential intervention halted further action temporarily.
Although many defaulters have rushed to make payments—some fined between ₦2 million and ₦5 million in addition to their outstanding rent—uncertainty still looms over what the administration’s next steps will be.
A top source at the Abuja Geographical Information System (AGIS) confirmed to Daily Trust that the grace period had ended, but said no fresh directive had been issued on further enforcement actions.
“Many of the defaulters have paid up,” the AGIS official told Daily Trust under anonymity.
However, he declined to confirm if prominent offices, including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Headquarters, and Ibro Hotels, which were among those previously sealed, had settled their dues.
A visit to the AGIS office by Daily Trust on Tuesday revealed long queues of individuals making last-minute payments.
Some identified themselves as proxies sent to pay on behalf of their principals.
“I am here to pay for my office. I’ve been coming since last Friday, but hopefully, it will be done today,” one man said, declining to name the office he represented. “Yes, it was among those sealed,” he confirmed when asked.
While the FCT Minister’s spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, did not respond to inquiries on Tuesday, he had earlier confirmed that all payments were being made online via Remita, making real-time tracking of payees difficult.
Despite the expiration of the grace period, AGIS officials say payment continues until new instructions are received from higher authorities.
Earlier enforcement actions saw the Wike-led FCT Administration seal off properties belonging to individuals, corporate bodies, government agencies, foreign missions, and political parties.
Among the prominent names published as defaulters were the FIRS, PDP, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and 39 foreign embassies.
However, an AGIS insider clarified that embassies would not be sealed, citing protections under international conventions.
“All foreign embassies are covered under international agreements and are exempt from such actions,” the source said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has since assured that all outstanding issues involving foreign missions will be resolved diplomatically and without escalation.
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