The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is threatening to close down 34 foreign embassies in Abuja due to over 11 years of unpaid ground rents, collectively totalling N3,662,196.
This move follows FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s May 26 order to enforce revocation on nearly 4,800 properties for similar non-payment. However, President Bola Tinubu granted a 14-day grace period, which expires on Monday.
Director of Land, FCTA, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, indicated that defaulting properties would also incur penalty fees of N2 million to N3 million, depending on location.
The list of indebted diplomatic missions includes the Ghana High Commission, Embassy of Thailand, Embassy of the Russian Federation, Royal Netherlands Embassy, Embassy of Türkiye, Embassy of Ireland, German Embassy, High Commission of India, South African High Commission, and others, with individual debts ranging from N150 to over N1.7 million.
However, several implicated embassies have firmly denied owing any money. The Embassy of the Russian Federation 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.” Similarly, a Turkish official questioned their inclusion, 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.”
The German Embassy also clarified, “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.”
They insisted 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,” reaffirming commitment to “transparency and mutual trust.”
The Ghana Embassy acknowledged the publication but said it “has not been officially communicated to” and would “liaise with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this matter.” An official at the Sierra Leone Embassy expressed unawareness and vowed to “cross-check.”
Responding to these denials, the FCT Minister’s spokesman, Lere Olayinka, stated, “This claim will be promptly investigated, and appropriate action will be taken.”
The potential enforcement actions have drawn warnings from foreign affairs experts. Former Nigerian ambassador to Mexico, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, cautioned, “For the diplomatic premises, if we are to go by the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations, the premises of a diplomatic mission are inviolable.” While acknowledging embassies must obey local rules, he suggested a diplomatic approach, noting, “It is a question of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs looking at each one on a bilateral basis and implementing it on a reciprocal basis.”
Foreign affairs analyst Charles Onunaiju echoed this, stating, “By the Vienna Convention establishing diplomatic missions, diplomatic premises are sovereign territory of their respective countries,” and warned that “If you get into their premises to lock it down, you are violating a very advanced diplomatic protocol. It will be a breach of diplomatic protocol.”
Meanwhile, other prominent defaulters previously listed, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), have reportedly settled their outstanding ground rents.
A source close to the PDP confirmed, “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.”
FIRS, whose offices were sealed in May before a row erupted, also resolved their payment issue, as did NAPTIP.
