By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
Property owners in highbrow Asokoro and Maitama rank highest debtors of the N29,506,643,943.98 outstanding Ground Rents owed the FCT Administration.
In a press release signed by Muhammad Hazat Sule
Director, Information & Communication made available to journalists today, the revelation emerged when the Coordinating Committee on the Recovery of Outstanding Ground Rents discovered that property owners in the highbrow areas of Asokoro, Industrial Area II and Maitama Districts are the highest debtors owing 10.67, 9.43 and 9.29 percent out of the total sum owed.
The Committee disclosed that it is already fine-tuning legal documentations to take all property owners, who have failed to pay, despite repeated warnings to court for prosecution, revocation, or outright forfeiture.
The Committee in the process of doing its work has discovered that bulk of the debtors are titleholders in Asokoro, Industrial Area II and Maitama Districts, considered to be highbrow areas in the nation’s capital city, Abuja.
Accordingly, property owners in Asokoro District alone constitutes 10.67 percent of the Ground Rents defaulters, while the titleholders in Industrial Area II and Maitama Districts comprise 9.43 percent and 9.29 percent respectively.
Recalled that the FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr. Adesola Olusade recently inaugurated a debt recovery committee with the mandate to recover the outstanding debts owed the FCT Administration with particular interest in ground rents and other sundry fees in the Land Administration Department as well as other stakeholder’s departments.
Property owners in other Districts such as, Central Business Districts, Industrial Area I & Extension, as well as Wuse I & II are owing the Administration to the tune of 8.21 percent, 5.18 percent, 5.1 percent, and 4.81 percent respectively.
Titleholders in Garki I & II, Katampe and Jabi Districts are in default of 3.4 percent, 3 percent, 2.21 percent, and 2.15 percent respectively.
Property owners in other districts like Kukwaba, Gwarinpa I, Gudu, Kado, Karmo, Katampe Extention, Utako, Mabushi, Durumi, Daki-Biyu, Guzape, Jahi, Dutse Wuye and Institutions & Research are owing various degrees of percentages.
The Committee reiterated it’s commitment to carry out its assignment as mandated by the FCT Administration whilst all titleholders must honor their obligation to clear the debts.
It is more honorable and responsible for property owners to rush to clear their outstanding debts because it is not going to be business as usual as the government needs these funds to fast-track the infrastructural development of the Federal Capital Territory, the Committee warned.
Meanwhile, the committee has since dissolved into sub committees of Publicity, Administration, Legal and Finance respectively for effective and diligent execution of its mandate.
