Wike Drops Hammer: Abuja Land Allottees Face Revocation in 21 Days Over Unpaid Charges

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has issued a 21-day ultimatum to allottees of land in Abuja to make full payment of all charges tied to their Statutory Right of Occupancy or forfeit their allocations. He also mandated that all lands must be developed within two years of allocation.

Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike stressed that the reforms are part of a broader strategy to sanitise the land administration process in the FCT. During a media briefing, Olayinka disclosed that only 8,287 of the 261,914 Area Council land documents submitted for regularisation between 2006 and 2023 have been vetted. Out of these, just 2,358 have been successfully cleared, validated, and regularised—representing a mere 3.2% of total submissions. The remaining 253,627 cases are still pending.

In addition to the 21-day payment deadline for statutory land allottees, allottees of Area Council lands have been given 60 days to make full payment, as part of efforts to standardise and regularise land ownership across the FCT. The new directives take effect from April 21, 2025.

Olayinka, who briefed alongside the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, stated that the reforms target several key areas including the conditions of the grant of Statutory Rights of Occupancy, the contents of the Right of Occupancy Bill, and the acceptance or refusal of offers. It also includes titling issues related to Mass Housing and sectional interests, as well as the regularisation of Area Council land documents.

Until now, there was no defined timeline for the collection of Right of Occupancy documents or payment of associated fees, rents, and charges. This lack of clarity contributed to delays in revenue collection, stalling of infrastructure development, and persistent land speculation and racketeering. The new policy introduces penalties for non-compliance, with all payments outside the 21-day window declared invalid and undeveloped lands subject to revocation after two years.

Addressing the issue of Mass Housing, Olayinka revealed that since the inception of the Public-Private Partnership-driven programme in 2000, only two out of 445 developers have fulfilled the necessary conditions. He said a new operational framework has been developed to fast-track the titling process for Mass Housing and sectional interests, aligning with Wike’s commitment to restoring public confidence in FCT land administration.