The Federal Government has threatened to revoke land titles of top government functionaries and officials, including President Bola Tinubu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, state governments, and top commercial banks, among others.

In a publication of names of over 9,000 ground rent debtors on Monday, the Federal Capital Territory Administration gave a two-week ultimatum within which to make the payment of the outstanding ground rent for 2023, or risk having their titles revoked.

?The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) hereby wishes to remind the general public, particularly allotee(s)/title holder(s) of plot(s) of land within the Federal Capital Territory, of their obligations to the FCTA as stipulated in the covenanted terms of the Statutory Rights of Occupancy/Certificate of Occupancy to wit: ?pay in advance without demand to the Federal Capital Territory Administration the annual ground rent from the first date of January of each year.

?All allottees/property owners, as well as beneficiaries of the sale of Federal Government Houses in the FCT who have not paid or settled their outstanding ground rent for the year 2023, are hereby advised in their interest to ensure payment within two (2) weeks from the date of this publication, failure of which such titles shall be revoked,? the publication reads.

Among some of the top officials mentioned in the publication were former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika; former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; former Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele; and former Federal Commissioner of Internal Affairs, Umaru Shinkafi.

Others were former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi; former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso; former Governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda; and former Governor of Cross Rivers State, Donald Duke.

Among Ministries, Departments and Agencies owing ground rents were the Federal Housing Authority, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Federal Ministry of Commerce, Federal Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Federal High Court, Abuja, Code of Conduct Bureau, and the state lodges of the governments of Imo, Lagos, Benue, Ondo, Oyo, Bauchi, Delta, Kaduna, and Kogi.

In November 2023, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, extended the deadline for payment of ground rents until December 2023, stating that if they didn?t pay up, ?something will surely happen, contrary to the erroneous assumption that the ground rent directive was an empty threat,? following the expiration of the deadline earlier given to land allottees in September.

The FCT Director of Information, Muhammad Sule, who announced the extension of the deadline, said the minister had disclosed that the FCTA expected to rake in about N30bn from the payment of ground debts in the territory.

?In consideration of the sustained response from affected allottees and in order not to disenfranchise those who are still in queue for collection of ground rent bill and are eager to pay, the minister of FCT has graciously approved that additional time be granted from the expiration of the final notice to 14th of December 2023.

?The administration is expecting over N30 billion from the grant rent payment,? the director said.

However, the administration went on to publish names of ground rent debtors in February and June 2024, issuing the same deadline to debtors and urging prompt payment of the debts to avoid revocation of their land titles.

Speaking in Abuja on Monday during a flag-off ceremony of the upgrading of the War College-Army Checkpoint and other ancillary roads in Bwari Area Council, Wike urged the debtors to pay up the ground rents.

He added that when they did their part by paying their taxes, then they could challenge the government on what was done with the money.

?If you read today?s paper, I published the names of debtors. Some of you are seated here; go and pay your ground rent.

?That is what I use to do all these roads. We have no oil in Abuja, the only oil we have is to pay your ground rent so that we can do all these roads.

?So please, I urge you, let us do our part. When you do your part, and the government does not do its part, then you can ask questions.

?Ask the Minister of FCT, ask the Minister of State for FCT, what were you doing with all the taxes that we are paying? Ask us, challenge us in national debates, that you are not seeing what we are doing with your money, and we will tell you what we have done, and what we will continue to do with the tax you have paid,? he said.

With the issued ultimatum, the FCT administration may revoke houses and properties belonging to the top officials, as the administration also said that it will publish the names of the rest of the debtors today. (The PUNCH)

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