By Sarah NEGEDU
A total of 4,794 land titles in the Federal Capital Territory has been forfieted to the FCT Administration, over failure of the land owners to make ground rent payment between 10 and 43 years.
The affected properties said to be located in the ten oldest districts of Phase 1 of the Federal Capital City including the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape, will be repossessed by the FCTA starting from Monday 26th May, 2025.
This was announced at a press briefing on Friday, by the FCT Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, alongside the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, and Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima.
The Director of Development Control, Tpl Mukhtar Galadima, explained that affected properties will be sealed up and access restricted, while the FCTA decides what to do with the affected properties in due course.
Giving a background of the revocation process, the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze recalled that, “As we did say in March this year, a little over two months ago, that 4,794 land titles were revoked over non-payment of ground rent, from 10 years to 43 years. We did also tell you that those properties had reverted to the Federal Capital Territory Administration, and that the administration will take possession of them in due course.”
“Ownership of the revoked 4,794 properties in the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama and Guzape districts, had already reverted to the FCTA, and as from Monday, next week, the government will begin to exercise its rights of ownership on the affected landed properties.
“As usual, this will be done without consideration as to ownership of the affected landed properties. It will be purely in line with extant laws and regulations guiding the process.”
Meanwhile, the Director of Development Control Department, Mukhtar Galadima who clarified the repossession process stated that, “From Monday, we are going to commence the process of possessing these properties by the Federal Capital Territory Administration. This includes recognizance visit to the areas affected and the properties concerned, and then serving the sealed notice as well as sealing the premises. So, in a nutshell, we will go round the districts and the affected properties to be sealed as appropriate.”
He emphasized the equivalence of sealing and possession: “There is no clear distinction between sealing and taking over, because it’s the same thing. Now, the owner of the property says, seal the premises for me. So, no more utilization by any other person. Whoever does that is considered as a trespasser. So, it is the owner of the property who says, seal the premises for me. That’s all. Sealing and taking possession is as good as the same thing in this context.”
Regarding occupants currently living on these properties, Galadima noted, “They have been given adequate time by way of notice, over two months now, that the properties have been taken over by the FCT administration. So, it is expected that within this span of time, they must have made adequate arrangements for their relocation.”
On the financial implications, the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, revealed that a total of N6,967,980,119 was being owed as Ground Rent by 8,375 property owners, as at March.
He said the act “contravenes the terms and conditions of grant of the Rights of Occupancy, in line with the provisions of Section 28, Subsections 5(a) and (b) of the Land Use Act.”
Our correspondent gathered that the list of land titles in default of payment of Ground Rent are located in Central Area District (Cadastral Zone A00), Garki I (Cadastral Zone A01), Wuse I (Cadastral Zone A02), Garki II (Cadastral Zone A03), Asokoro (Cadastral Zone A04), Maitama (Cadastral Zone A05), Maitama (Cadastral Zone A06), Wuse II (Cadastral Zone A07), Wuse II (Cadastral Zone A08) and Guzape (Cadastral Zone A09).
