| Islie: 4:05am On Jun 09 |
Thirty-four embassies in Abuja risk being closed down by the Federal Capital Territory istration over unpaid ground rents spanning 11 years, The PUNCH reports.
The PUNCH, however, learnt that the opposition Peoples Democratic, Federal Inland Revenue Service and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, who were also listed as defaulters, had settled their ground rent with the FCTA.
A publication by the FCTA revealed that many foreign missions had not paid their ground rents since 2014, with the affected diplomatic missions collectively owing N3,662,196.
On May 26, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, ordered officials to commence enforcement on 4,794 properties that were revoked due to non-payment of ground rent, spanning between 10 and 43 years.
But President Bola Tinubu intervened, granting a 14-day grace period, which ends on Monday (today), to affected property holders to settle their outstanding obligations.
The Director of Land, FCTA, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, disclosed that the defaulters would pay penalty fees of N2m and N3m respectively, depending on their locations.
The defaulting embassies include the Ghana High Commission Defence Section (N5,950); Embassy of Thailand (N5,350), Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire (N5,500); Embassy of the Russian Federation (N1,100); Embassy of the Philippines (N5,950); Royal Netherlands Embassy (N5,950); Embassy of Turkey (N3,350), and the Embassy of the Republic of Guinea (N5,950).
Also included are the embassies of Ireland (N500), Uganda (N5,950), Iraq (N550), and the Zambia High Commission, which owes (N1,189,990).
Other missions on the list include the Tanzania High Commission (N6,000), German Embassy (N1,000), Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo (N5,950), Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (N459,055), Embassy of the Republic of Korea (N5,950), and the High Commission of Trinidad and Tobago (N500).
The Embassy of Egypt (N5,950), Embassy of Chad (N5,950), Sierra Leone Commission (N5,900), High Commission of India (N150), Embassy of Sudan (N5,950), Embassy of Niger Republic (N500), and Kenya High Commission (N5,950) are also listed among the defaulters.
Others are the embassies of Zimbabwe (N500), Ethiopia (N5,950), and Indonesia (Defence Attaché), which has an outstanding balance of (N1,718,211).
The Delegation of the European Union (N1,500), Embassy of Switzerland (N5,950), Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia (N5,950), China’s Economic and Commercial Counselor’s Office (N12,000), South African High Commission (N4,950), and the Government of Equatorial Guinea (N1,137,240) also featured on the list.
Reacting, the Embassy of the Russian Federation firmly denied any outstanding debts.
“The Embassy pays all bills for the rent of the territory on which the Embassy complex is located in good faith and on time. The Embassy also has all necessary documents confirming payment,” it stated.
Similarly, the Embassy of Turkiye questioned its inclusion on the FCTA’s list, citing a possible istrative error.
A Turkish official told our correspondent, “We have not received a formal notification about the debt. We regularly make our payments on time, and we will check if we are on the list because of a bureaucratic mistake or a misunderstanding, and will fix the issue as soon as possible.”
The German Embassy, in a chat with The PUNCH, clarified that no formal claim or demand regarding unpaid rent had been brought to its attention by the FCTA.
“We understand that you are referring to reports suggesting that the German Embassy in Abuja has outstanding rent obligations. We would like to clarify that no such claim or demand has been formally brought to our attention by the Federal Capital Territory istration,” the embassy stated.
It further insisted that all official financial obligations relating to the embassy’s premises had been settled as of the end of 2024, adding that there are no known outstanding payments.
The embassy emphasised its commitment to maintaining a respectful and cooperative relationship with the Nigerian government and the FCTA, reaffirming its dedication to transparency and mutual trust.
“Moreover, we can confirm that all official financial obligations relating to the Embassy’s premises have been fully settled as of the end of 2024. There are no known outstanding payments.
“The Embassy of the Federal Republic of highly values its respectful and cooperative relationship with the government of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory istration and remains fully committed to transparency and mutual trust,” the statement added.
The Embassy of Ghana also told The PUNCH that even though it had not been notified officially of the development, it would reach out to the Foreign Affairs on ways to resolve the issue.
The embassy stated, “The High Commission has noted the publication but has not been officially communicated to. We will liaise with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this matter.”
An official at the Sierra Leone Embassy said they were unaware of the issue and would the claim.
He noted, “I am not aware and I am not in the office now. On my return, I will inform my authorities to cross-check.”
Concerning the claims by some embassies that they were not indebted to the FCTA, spokesman for the FCT minister, Lere Olayinka, stated, “This claim will be promptly investigated and appropriate action will be taken.”
Commenting on the development, a former Nigerian ambassador to Mexico, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, referenced the 1961 Vienna Convention and urged caution.
“For the diplomatic premises, if we are to go by the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations, the premises of a diplomatic mission are inviolable,” he submitted.
“But that is not to say that they are not supposed to obey local municipal rules and regulations or the rules and regulations governing such things as relate to property ownership. However, there may be a caveat,” Amedu-Ode said.
He suggested that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should handle the matter diplomatically.
“It is a question of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs looking at each one on a bilateral basis and implementing it on a reciprocal basis,” the ex-envoy stated.
A foreign affairs analyst, Charles Onunaiju, also questioned the legality of applying ground rent rules to diplomatic missions, arguing that it was not applicable under international laws.
“By the Vienna Convention establishing diplomatic missions, diplomatic premises are sovereign territory of their respective countries,” Onunaiju pointed out.
He warned that any enforcement action against embassies could trigger diplomatic fallout.
“If you get into their premises to lock it down, you are obviously violating a very advanced diplomatic protocol. It will be a breach of diplomatic protocol,” the analyst warned.
Meanwhile, a reliable source close to the Peoples Democratic Party leadership, who spoke on condition of requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, told The PUNCH that the PDP had settled all matters related to ground rent with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
He stated, “The PDP has resolved all issues with Wike regarding the ground rent. Action was taken on Friday to make the payment, so there is no longer any problem.”
When asked about the development, the FCT minister’s spokesman, Lere Olayinka, said, “Some of these things, there is no way we can know. Some are paying through Remita, people are paying online. So, it’s until they bring their receipts that we can know.”
It was also learnt that the Federal Inland Revenue Service had mended fences with the FCTA after their offices were sealed off following non-compliance.
On May 26, the FCTA sealed off the FIRS premises for non-payment of its ground rent, but the action sparked a row between both bodies, with the latter denying owing ground rent on its properties in Abuja. The revenue generating firm thus demanded a public apology from the FCTA for sealing off one of its offices.
However, the FCTA insisted that the shutdown was due to the non-payment of ground rent, a statutory land charge.
Refuting the allegation that FIRS owed 25-year ground on two of its office at No 12 and 14, Sokode Crescent, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, Director, Facility Management Department, FIRS, Tyofa Abeghe, said nothing could be further from the truth on the claim as FIRS had paid the said money.
He said a demand notice from Abuja Geographic Information System dated September 2023, asking for ground rent on the properties was honoured with a payment of N2, 364, 003 three months after the notice was issued.
It was learnt that the payment issue had been resolved.
In a similar vein, NAPTIP, which also had its office sealed, had settled their outstanding ground net, a source at the federal agency told The PUNCH.
“It’s been resolved,” the source said.
https://punchng.com/ground-rent-34-embassies-risk-closure-tuesday/?amp
6 Likes 
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| AdesegunSanni89: 4:21am On Jun 09 |
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Great job Minister Wike. Payment of ground rent must be fully enforced.
19 Likes 4 Shares |
| Yankee101: 4:52am On Jun 09 |
Has Nigeria paid its ground rent in other countries? Do you know how long the Nigerian embassy in New York was owing the government? Even employees were owing unpaid parking tickets but no one shut the place down because it was an embassy
They’ll just freeze Wike’s assets abroad and ban him from several countries. Even Tinubu won’t try it
See an example
Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the government of Nigeria owes the city as much as $16 million in unpaid taxes on the Manhattan building that houses the Nigerian Consulate https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/city-sues-nigeria-over-unpaid-taxes/1881923/?amp=1
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| MaziObinnaokija: 6:07am On Jun 09 |
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13 Likes 1 Share |
| MaziObinnaokija: 6:12am On Jun 09 |
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18 Likes |
| MVLOX(m): 8:30am On Jun 09 |
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Wike the wicked is haunting sorry hunting sorry hustling
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| PigTormentor: 8:31am On Jun 09 |
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Make them pay.
18 Likes 1 Share |
| Tjra: 8:31am On Jun 09 |
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But these ground rents are peanuts na.
I just wonder why the bitter ones are defending the defaulters because of their hatred for Wike.
Common sense is truly not common.
9 Likes 1 Share |
| Mindlog: 8:31am On Jun 09 |
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| DeltaBachelor(m): 8:32am On Jun 09 |
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Chai
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| Kennyfancy(m): 8:32am On Jun 09 |
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Unah better do diligent finding and inform those embassies b4 going to disgraced urself in the international space
4 Likes |
| Tjra: 8:32am On Jun 09 |
Yankee101:
Has Nigeria laid its ground rent in other countries? Do you know how long Nigerian embassy New York was owing the government? Even employees were owing u paid parking tickets but no one shut the place down because it was an embassy
They’ll just freeze Wike’s assets abroad and ban him from several countries. Even Tinubu won’t try it
Did you think this comments through before typing them?
9 Likes |
| itzzkhaliii(m): 8:33am On Jun 09 |
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I they see #500 Sure say that's the correct amount?
7 Likes |
| sleek214(m): 8:33am On Jun 09 |
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Ok
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| bellosulaiman(m): 8:33am On Jun 09 |
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1 Like |
| phobia2002: 8:33am On Jun 09 |
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How much is grant rent in Abuja that an embassy is owing #5,000.
These people are paying less than the state sha
6 Likes 1 Share |
| frankson1(m): 8:34am On Jun 09 |
Yankee101:
Has Nigeria laid its ground rent in other countries? Do you know how long Nigerian embassy New York was owing the government? Even employees were owing u paid parking tickets but no one shut the place down because it was an embassy
They’ll just freeze Wike’s assets abroad and ban him from several countries. Even Tinubu won’t try it
SLAVE
11 Likes 1 Share |
| nairalanda1(m): 8:35am On Jun 09 |
Wike's method is soon coming to a state...sorry..coming to your state of residence soon.
The problem is, oil money is falling. This year, budget was based on the idea that oil would be at least 75 dollars a barrel for the whole year. Instead, oil has fallen between 65 and 60 dollars, and was even at 59 dollars a month.
This has created a funding deficit...and essentially it's every state for himself or herself. Tinubu also has had to increase borrowing, otherwise, there would be no money for anything.
So, taxes.
Welcome to the new reality.
(And by the way, you do not have to any useless party to realize that fiscally, we have been struggling since independence. As at today, less than 20% of Nigerians pay income tax to the government. A lot of us pay informal tax that goes to other people's pockets.That's a big part...there are other reasons, kwarruption inclusive...why we have debts, and why we struggle to fund budgets, meaning we got to take loans.).
17 Likes |
| cyberbro(m): 8:35am On Jun 09 |
Laughable figures!  Embassies are making billions monthly from Nigerians but you're charging them 1k, 2k, for ground rent in Abuja.
They should have just charged them 1kobo for ground rent. 😒
10 Likes 1 Share |
| kennyz247(m): 8:36am On Jun 09 |
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Wike no go die well ooo..
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| Yankee101: 8:37am On Jun 09 |
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1 Like 1 Share |
| Yankee101: 8:37am On Jun 09 |
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1 Like 1 Share |
| Yankiss(m): 8:37am On Jun 09 |
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Did I see clearly? N500 or dollars? How can all collectively owe a paltry 3m NGN over 10 years? [/b]The defaulting embassies include the Ghana High Commission Defence Section (N5,950); Embassy of Thailand (N5,350), Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire (N5,500); Embassy of the Russian Federation (N1,100); Embassy of the Philippines (N5,950); Royal Netherlands Embassy (N5,950); Embassy of Turkey (N3,350), and the Embassy of the Republic of Guinea (N5,950).[b]
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| inoki247: 8:37am On Jun 09 |
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Make Dem pay none of doz countries will charge a Nigerian citizens less than $500 for ordinary permits for a Nigerian to live in there Country...
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| Yankee101: 8:37am On Jun 09 |
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1 Like 1 Share |
| Bobloco: 8:39am On Jun 09 |
Tjra:
But these ground rents are peanuts na.
I just wonder why the bitter ones are defending the defaulters because of their hatred for Wike.
Common sense is truly not common.
If the ground rents are ‘peanuts’, why’s your hero Wike throwing tantrums like a landlord with a cane? Nobody burns down a house over peanuts unless the goal was never the ground rent, just raw power and petty vendettas.
4 Likes 1 Share |
| crixlight2(m): 8:39am On Jun 09 |
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2 Likes 1 Share |
| shortgun(m): 8:40am On Jun 09 |
Wike is now after 5k
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| franchasofficia: 8:40am On Jun 09 |
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mswtewwwww
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| Voelo(f): 8:41am On Jun 09 |
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Ok congratulations
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| zoghys: 8:45am On Jun 09 |
Yankee101:
Has Nigeria paid its ground rent in other countries? Do you know how long the Nigerian embassy in New York was owing the government? Even employees were owing unpaid parking tickets but no one shut the place down because it was an embassy
They’ll just freeze Wike’s assets abroad and ban him from several countries. Even Tinubu won’t try it
It's the right of the country to ask for what's is due to her and so vice versa in other countries. Wike has acted within the law and rightly so. This is not personal as far as am concerned, so we shouldn't see it as that.
See an example
Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the government of Nigeria owes the city as much as $16 million in unpaid taxes on the Manhattan building that houses the Nigerian Consulate
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/city-sues-nigeria-over-unpaid-taxes/1881923/?amp=1
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upon all the money those ones dey charge for visa 
? una wehdone
