The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and Senator Ireti Kingibe clashed on Thursday over the recent sealing of homes in Abuja for failing to pay ground rent.
Senator Kingibe, who represents the FCT in the Senate, condemned the clampdown as unlawful and excessive.
In a statement released on May 26, 2025, and uploaded via her official X Twitter, she warned that the mass closure of buildings, including headquarters of vital institutions such as the Peoples Democratic Party Secretariat and Access Bank, infringed people’s and business owners’ rights.
Wike’s team quickly responded with a statement from his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to FCT Minister Lere Olayinka.
Wike accused 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, or even 43 years cannot be brushed aside.”
The former Rivers State governor 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.
On her part, Kingibe maintained her position, arguing that while enforcement of ground rent is necessary, the method of sealing off properties without due process is illegal.
Kingibe 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 lawmaker 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, emphasising that non-payment of ground rent constitutes a breach of the Certificate of Occupancy—grounds sufficient, 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 feud occurs despite President Bola Tinubu’s recent intervention, which granted defaulters a 14-day grace period to pay their bills.
While that move temporarily prevented additional property sealing, the fight between Kingibe and Wike’s camp highlights a growing political rift over how public policy is handled in the capital.
Kingibe called on 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.
