According to The PUNCH, the Federal Capital Territory Administration is considering closing 34 embassies in Abuja because they have not paid ground rentals for 11 years.
However, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party—all of whom were classified as defaulters—had paid their ground rent to the FCTA, the PUNCH learned.
According to an FCTA release, a large number of foreign embassies have not paid their ground rentals since 2014. The total amount owed by the impacted diplomatic missions is N3,662,196.
Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, gave officials instructions on May 26 to start enforcing the ground rent on 4,794 properties that had been canceled for a period ranging from 10 to 43 years.
But President Bola Tinubu intervened, granting a 14-day grace period, which ends on Monday (today), to affected property holders to settle their outstanding obligations.
The Director of Land, FCTA, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, disclosed that the defaulters would pay penalty fees of N2m and N3m respectively, depending on their locations.
The defaulting embassies include the Ghana High Commission Defence Section (N5,950); Embassy of Thailand (N5,350), Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire (N5,500); Embassy of the Russian Federation (N1,100); Embassy of the Philippines (N5,950); Royal Netherlands Embassy (N5,950); Embassy of Turkey (N3,350), and the Embassy of the Republic of Guinea (N5,950).
Also included are the embassies of Ireland (N500), Uganda (N5,950), Iraq (N550), and the Zambia High Commission, which owes (N1,189,990).
Other missions on the list include the Tanzania High Commission (N6,000), German Embassy (N1,000), Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo (N5,950), Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (N459,055), Embassy of the Republic of Korea (N5,950), and the High Commission of Trinidad and Tobago (N500).
The Embassy of Egypt (N5,950), Embassy of Chad (N5,950), Sierra Leone Commission (N5,900), High Commission of India (N150), Embassy of Sudan (N5,950), Embassy of Niger Republic (N500), and Kenya High Commission (N5,950) are also listed among the defaulters.
Others are the embassies of Zimbabwe (N500), Ethiopia (N5,950), and Indonesia (Defence Attaché), which has an outstanding balance of (N1,718,211).
The Delegation of the European Union (N1,500), Embassy of Switzerland (N5,950), Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia (N5,950), China’s Economic and Commercial Counselor’s Office (N12,000), South African High Commission (N4,950), and the Government of Equatorial Guinea (N1,137,240) also featured on the list.
Reacting, the Embassy of the Russian Federation firmly denied any outstanding debts.
“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 necessary documents confirming payment,” it stated.
