Mr. Lere Olayinka, the spokesperson to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has faulted Senator Ireti Kingibe’s criticism of the FCT Administration’s enforcement of ground rent payments, describing her position as misguided and legally flawed.
Senator Kingibe, who represents the FCT in the Senate under the Labour Party, had challenged the recent sealing of properties by the FCT Administration over unpaid ground rent. She described the move as unconstitutional, arguing that while tax enforcement is necessary, it should not result in arbitrary property takeovers.
In a swift reaction on Thursday, Olayinka, who serves as the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, stated that the senator was ignorant of the relevant legal provisions, particularly those enshrined in the Land Use Act.
“It is surprising that a serving senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, whose duty is to make laws, is ignorant of the provisions of Section 28, Subsections (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act,” Olayinka said in a statement issued in Abuja.
He further quoted the Act: “Section 28, Subsections (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act provides that ‘The Government may revoke a Statutory Right of Occupancy on the ground of; (a) a breach of any of the provisions which a certificate of occupancy is by Section 10 deemed to contain; and (b) a breach of any term contained in the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O).’”
“Now, is annual payment of ground rent not part of the terms contained in the C of O?” he queried.
Olayinka dismissed Kingibe’s remarks as “illogical,” asserting that land allocation comes with clear conditions, including the annual payment of ground rent, which he said must be fulfilled without the need for a demand notice.
He warned the senator against using the issue for what he termed “cheap political gain.”
The FCT Administration had, earlier in the week, commenced the takeover of 4,794 properties across the territory over unpaid ground rent, a debt amounting to over N6 billion. President Bola Tinubu has, however, approved a 14-day grace period for defaulters to settle their outstanding payments and penalties.
