Two-Week Ultimatum: Wike Warns Ivory Coast Embassy and Others Over Ground Rent

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has published a list of foreign embassies that owe ground rent in Abuja.

The list includes 43 embassies and high commissions with a total outstanding debt of $5.36 million.

Wike issued a final notice to these embassies, giving them just two weeks to settle their debts or risk having their titles revoked.

The notice, titled “Final Notice on Payment of Outstanding Ground Rent in the FCT,” was published in national dailies on February 13, 2024.

Among the foreign countries with outstanding ground rent are Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Korea, Russia, France, Iraq, Italy, and Spain.

African countries on the list include Senegal, Cote D’Ivoire, Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, and South Africa.

In the published notice, all allottees, property owners, and beneficiaries of the sale of Federal Government Houses in the FCT are advised to make their payments within two weeks to avoid having their titles revoked.

For easy reference, a list of allottees and the corresponding outstanding ground rents has been provided. This move by the FCT Minister is aimed at ensuring that all foreign embassies and high commissions in Abuja meet their financial obligations in a timely manner.

As the two-week ultimatum approaches, it remains to be seen if the affected embassies will comply with the directive and settle their outstanding ground rent payments.