No fewer than Thirty-four foreign embassies in Nigeria’s capital could end up being reportedly shut down for defaulting with respect to the payment of ground rent for 11 years.
Ground rent is the required money that property owners must pay the government for using land. The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), which manages Abuja, says these diplomatic missions collectively owe N3,662,196 since 2014.
On May 26, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike moved to commence an enforcement action against 4,794 properties owing ground rent spanning 10 to 43 years. However, President Bola Tinubu intervened, giving a 14-day grace period that ended Monday for property owners to settle outstanding payments.
FCTA’s Director of Land, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, said defaulters would face penalty fees of N2 million to N3 million, depending on location.
Some organisations initially listed as defaulters —including the Peoples Democratic Party, Federal Inland Revenue Service, and anti-trafficking agency NAPTIP — have since paid their debts.
The defaulting embassies include missions from Ghana (N5,950), Thailand (N5,350), Russia (N1,100), Turkey (N3,350), Ireland (N500), Uganda (N5,950), Germany (N1,000), and Venezuela (N459,055).
The Zambia High Commission (N1,189,990), Indonesia’s Defence Attaché (N1,718,211), and Equatorial Guinea (N1,137,240) owe higher amounts. Other missions from Egypt, Chad, Sierra Leone, India, Sudan, Niger, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, China, and South Africa also appear on the list.
According to a report by The Punch, several embassies are denying the allegations.
Russia’s embassy stated: “The Embassy pays all bills for the rent of the territory on which the Embassy complex is located in good faith and on time. The Embassy also has all the necessary documents confirming payment.”
The Punch also quoted a Turkish official saying: “We have not received a formal notification about the debt. We regularly make our payments on time, and we will check if we are on the list because of a bureaucratic mistake or a misunderstanding, and will fix the issue as soon as possible.”
Germany’s embassy said: “We understand that you are referring to reports suggesting that the German Embassy in Abuja has outstanding rent obligations. We would like to clarify that no such claim or demand has been formally brought to our attention by the Federal Capital Territory Administration.” The embassy added: “Moreover, we can confirm that all official financial obligations relating to the Embassy’s premises have been fully settled as of the end of 2024. There are no known outstanding payments.”
Ghana’s embassy told The Punch: “The High Commission has noted the publication, but has not been officially communicated to. We will liaise with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this matter.”
However, some organisations have resolved their issues. A PDP source said, “The PDP has resolved all issues with Wike regarding the ground rent. Action was taken on Friday to make the payment, so there is no longer any problem.”
The Federal Inland Revenue Service, whose offices were sealed in May over unpaid rent, has also settled its dispute with the FCTA after initially denying it owed money.
A NAPTIP source confirmed their agency’s resolution, telling The Punch: “It’s been resolved.”
