Ground rent defaulters in the FCT are trooping to the office of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) to pay rent debts before the expiration of the two-week ultimatum given by President Bola Tinubu.

The FCT Administration had published the names of 9,000 debtors in several national dailies, urging them to pay their ground rents or risk having their properties revoked.

At a press briefing on Friday, May 23, 2025, by the FCT Minister?s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka; Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, and Director, Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, the FCTA announced that it would begin to take possession of 4,794 affected properties owing ground rents between 10 and 43 years, within the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Maitama and Guzape.

On Monday, May 26, the FCTA began sealing and taking over properties of ground rent defaulters.

Among them were the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, the headquarters of the National Agency for Trafficking in Persons, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

However, President Bola Tinubu intervened, granting defaulters a 14-day grace period to settle their outstanding payments and penalties.

Nwakwoeze said following the President?s intervention, owners of properties in the central area would pay a penalty fee of N5m, in addition to the ground rent.

Those in Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse II, and Guzape Districts were fined N3m penalty, while defaulters in Wuse I, Garki I and Garki II were fined N2m.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that defaulters had started trooping to the government office to settle their rents.

The Information Officer at the Abuja Geographic Information Systems, Badaru Yakassai, who confirmed the development, said, ?People are coming, and the place is crowded. You can come and see for yourself. In fact, we had to increase the number of people issuing tellers, so that the process would be faster, and we can decongest the place. But people are rushing to pay.?

Yakassai also disclosed that although its offices were crowded, payments could be made via its online portal.

?They can pay online. The online portal is working. What they need to do is generate the Remita, and then we will change it to a teller transaction for them at the office. And like I said, we have increased the number of officers issuing the tellers to those who have paid,? he added.

Meanwhile, the FCT administration has unsealed buildings belonging of the PDP, NAPTIP and the FIRS, in line with the directive of President Tinubu.

As of 10.30am on Friday, security officials at the gate of the PDP secretariat, located at the Wadata Plaza, in Wuse Zone 5, confirmed that the FCTA task force unsealed the property at 8.17am on Thursday.

However, no principal officials of the party were on the ground. The National Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, could not also be reached for comments.

The National Press Officer of NAPTIP, Vincent Adekoye, confirmed that the minister?s task force unsealed the property on Tuesday, following the directive of the President, adding that the agency had ?swung into action? to ensure that everything was done right.

He said, ?NAPTIP is a responsible agency of government, headed by a seasoned administrator and law-abiding Director-General. The enforcement team came and told us what was right and what was not right. In line with our policy to do everything in due process, the agency swung into action to ensure what should be done right is done right. They told us what we needed to do to get proper documentation, and we are on it.

On his part, the Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS Chairman, Dare Adekambi, confirmed the development to our correspondent.

He said, ?It has been unsealed. We have been going about our work without any hindrance from anybody.?

Adekambi added that the FCT administration unsealed the property, ?when they realised we were not owing any money.? (Saturday PUNCH)

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