Ground rent, she noted, is a tax charged and collected by state governments under the Lands (Title Vesting, etc.) Act.
“No Nigerian’s property can be lawfully seized, revoked, or sealed solely on account of failure to pay ground rent,” she stated. “The penalty for such default is, by law, limited to a fine or surcharge, not the compulsory taking over or sealing of the property without recourse to the due process prescribed under Section 42 of the Land Use Act and other relevant provisions.”
Senator Ireti Kingibe has criticized the “indiscriminate and often unlawful” sealing of properties in Abuja by government agencies over unpaid ground rent, calling it economically harmful. The FCT Administration had planned to reclaim 4,794 properties—including those of the CBN, INEC, and NNPC—for unpaid rents spanning 10-43 years until President Tinubu intervened with a two-week reprieve.
“While enforcement is necessary, such actions must be legal, fair, and sensitive to current economic realities,” Kingibe stated via X. The FCT Minister’s aide, Lere Olayinka, had earlier confirmed the crackdown, citing long-overdue payments from major institutions and state governments.
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