Wike Grants Abuja Land Use Defaulters Final 14-Day Grace to Pay N5m Penalty

Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has given property owners in Abuja who breached land use regulations a final 14-day grace period to pay a N5 million violation fee and other required charges.

According to a statement released on Sunday by Lere Olayinka, Wike’s senior special assistant on public communications and social media, the initial 30-day deadline granted in September for property owners to regularize their land titles has expired. The new grace period will begin on Tuesday, November 11, 2025.

The FCT Administration had earlier fined several property owners for converting residential buildings into commercial premises without proper authorization. Wike’s latest directive warns that those who fail to comply within the 14-day window will face enforcement actions.

The affected areas include Gana and Usuma Streets in Maitama; Yakubu Gowon Crescent in Asokoro; Aminu Kano and Adetokunbo Ademola Crescents in Wuse II; Ladoke Akintola Boulevard, Gimbiya Street, and Onitsha Street in Garki II; as well as Ogbomosho Street, Lafia Close, Yola Street, Abriba Close, Danbatta Street, Ringim Close, and Ilorin Street in Garki I.

Olayinka said compliant property owners will be issued new title documents reflecting their updated land use for a renewed 99-year term. The minister also clarified that this exercise does not apply to titles previously revoked for non-development, non-payment of ground rent, or other infractions.

Among the listed defaulters are Abdullahi Ganduje, former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC); Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former governor of Osun State; Atanda Fatai-Williams and Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, both former justices of the Supreme Court; and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.