Senator Ireti Kingibe, Representing The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Left; FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Right. Photo Credit: X
Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), recently expressed deep concern over the sealing of properties in Abuja due to unpaid ground rent.
In a statement released on her X page, she condemned the actions as illegal and unfair, emphasizing that property seizure without due process violates the Land Use Act.
Kingibe argued that the penalty for defaulting on ground rent should be limited to fines or surcharges, not arbitrary property takeover, and called for enforcement to be carried out with fairness and sensitivity to residents’ economic realities.
However, Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, fired back sharply on his official X page.
Olayinka challenged Kingibe’s stance, saying, “It’s embarrassing Senator Ireti Kingibe is ignorant of land use act, she needs to stop hating Wike.”
He described Senator Kingibe’s comments as “ridiculously illogical” and accused her of ignorance regarding the Land Use Act.
Olayinka cited Section 28(a) and (b) of the Act, which allows the government to revoke statutory rights of occupancy for breaches including failure to meet terms in the certificate of occupancy—terms that include the annual payment of ground rent.
He further accused her of allowing personal animosity towards Minister Wike to cloud her judgment.
Olayinka questioned whether Kingibe would ignore prolonged non-payment of ground rent if she were the FCT Minister, highlighting that some defaulters owe ground rent for periods ranging from 10 to 43 years.
He urged the Senator to stop viewing the issue through the lens of “I hate Wike” and to acknowledge the legal basis for the government’s enforcement actions.
The controversy started amid the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s (FCTA) move to reclaim 4,794 properties in Abuja over a N7 billion ground rent debt, including high-profile buildings like the PDP national secretariat.
