By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The FCT Administration has warned that defaults of ground rent totaling N29 billion in the territory risk forfeiture their property.
The Coordinating Committee on the Recovery of Outstanding Ground Rents of N29, 506,643,943.98 owed the FCT Administration made this known at it commences work, warned property owners who have failed to pay risk prosecution, revocation, or outright forfeiture.
The FCT Administration said it decided to set up the Coordinating Committee because after several appeals and notices served the affected property owners, yet they remain adamant.
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 as well as other Land related departments.
The Committee is expected to formally start communicating to the affected persons and corporate bodies as from Friday, July 1, 2022, after which those who failed to comply by paying their outstanding debt would be prosecuted.
According to Muhammad Hazat Sule, Director, Information & Communication, FCT/Chairman, Media & Publicity Sub-Committee, the Administration is forced to adopt these measures due to the non-compliant by the affected individuals and corporate organizations.
Government has called on the affected debtors to clear their outstanding debts to avoid prosecution, revocation, and forfeiture of their property.
Sule informed that the Recovery Committee has already swung into action and perfected modalities towards achieving the task, addingthat government needs resources to execute essential infrastructural projects in the Federal Capital Territory.
The Committee also assured that it will rigorously carry out its mandate to the latter, because ‘no stone will be left unturned’, in carrying out the assignment.
