The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has threatened to seal off 34 embassies and diplomatic missions in Abuja for failing to pay ground rents owed for up to 11 years.
According to a recent FCTA report, the embassies have collectively defaulted on payments totaling ₦3,662,196 since 2014.
This development follows the May 26 directive by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, instructing officials to enforce actions on 4,794 properties whose titles were revoked over unpaid ground rents spanning 10 to 43 years.
However, President Bola Tinubu intervened by granting a 14-day grace period, which expires today, Monday, for defaulters to clear their outstanding balances.
The FCTA’s Director of Land, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, revealed that the embassies must also pay penalty charges ranging from ₦2 million to ₦3 million, depending on location.
Some embassies listed as defaulters include:
-
Ghana High Commission Defence Section – ₦5,950
-
Embassy of Thailand – ₦5,350
-
Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire – ₦5,500
-
Embassy of the Russian Federation – ₦1,100
-
Royal Netherlands Embassy – ₦5,950
-
Embassy of Turkey – ₦3,350
-
Zambia High Commission – ₦1,189,990
-
Indonesia Defence Attaché – ₦1,718,211
-
Venezuela Embassy – ₦459,055
-
Equatorial Guinea Government – ₦1,137,240
-
China’s Economic Office – ₦12,000
-
South African High Commission – ₦4,950
Other missions such as those of Germany, Egypt, Sudan, India, Ethiopia, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Uganda are also among the defaulters.
The FCTA warned that failure to meet the payment deadline will result in enforcement action, including property revocation and possible embassy shutdown.
