A war of words broke out on Thursday between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and Senator Ireti Kingibe over the recent sealing of properties in Abuja for failure to pay ground rent.
Senator Kingibe, who represents the FCT in the Senate, criticised the clampdown as unconstitutional and high-handed.
In a statement issued on May 26, 2025, and shared via her official X handle, she warned that the mass closure of buildings—including offices of key institutions like the Peoples Democratic Party Secretariat and Access Bank—violated the rights of residents and business owners.
But Wike’s camp swiftly fired back through a statement his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka.
The minister accused Senator Kingibe of displaying “ridiculous ignorance” of the Land Use Act and turning every issue into a personal vendetta against Wike.
“It is embarrassingly ignorant for a serving senator to be unaware of the provisions of Section 28 of the Land Use Act,” Olayinka said. “Ground rent is not optional. It’s a legal obligation tied to land ownership, and failure to pay it over 10, 20, even 43 years cannot be brushed aside.”
He insisted that Kingibe’s opposition was politically motivated and called on her to “purge herself of hatred for Wike,” rather than shielding defaulters under the guise of defending legality.
Senator Kingibe, however, maintained her position, arguing that while enforcement of ground rent is necessary, the method of sealing off properties without due process is illegal.
She cited the Land Use Act and the Urban and Regional Planning Act, which, according to her, prescribe fines or surcharges—not arbitrary property takeovers—as penalties for default.
“No Nigerian’s property can be lawfully seized or sealed solely due to ground rent default,” she said, calling the FCT Administration’s actions “indiscriminate” and “insensitive” to current economic realities.
The senator also warned that such abrupt enforcements erode public trust and worsen the economic hardship facing residents of the FCT. She pledged to push for legislative action to ensure compliance with due process in future enforcement activities.
Olayinka countered that Kingibe’s interpretation of the law was selective, stressing that non-payment of ground rent constitutes a breach of the Certificate of Occupancy—grounds enough, under the law, for revocation.
“Would Kingibe, as FCT Minister, fold her arms while landowners refuse to pay what is legally due for over four decades?” he asked.
The spat comes despite President Bola Tinubu’s recent intervention granting defaulters a 14-day grace period to settle their arrears. While that move temporarily halted further sealing of properties, the clash between Kingibe and Wike’s camp underscores a deepening political divide over the handling of public policy in the capital.
Kingibe urged residents to remain calm and law-abiding, assuring them that the matter was receiving her full attention.
“We are committed to ensuring that dialogue, justice, and due process prevail,” she stated.
