By Joyce Remi- Babayeju
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has taken defaulting titleholders in the territory who are yet to pay their Ground Rents debt to court.
According to the FCT Director of Information and Communication of Muhammad Hazat Sule the government has filed court cases against some of the property owners who have refused to pay the prescribed land chargers, adding that this step is to seek order to force debtors to clear their debts or forfeit the affected property since they have turned deaf ears to several appeals to pay up.
The FCT Administration has taken this step to drive home the point that it is desirous of recovering the over N29 billion Ground Rents owed it by property owners, Sule who is also the Chairman, Media & Publicity Sub-Committee said.
The government last month, announced its preparedness to prosecute about 413 defaulting property owners by end of the August 2022, being the first set.
Sule lamented that about 413 defaulting property owners have failed to pay their outstanding Ground Rents, inspite of several appeals and warnings, thereby, jeopardizing government’s effort at providing critical services to the residents.
The government insisted that since all entreaties have failed, it has no other option than to commence the prosecution of the first batch of the defaulting property owners, he explained.
Recalling that the FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr. Adesola Olusade has 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 Coordinating Committee on the Recovery of Outstanding Ground Rent and Other Related Charges in the FCT, is headed by the FCT General Counsel/Secretary Legal Secretariat, Mohammed Babangida Umar had hired five law firms, owned by Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), to prepare legal documents to commence legal action against the defaulting titleholders.
The Committee has warned the public that there will be no sacred cows in the recovery of it’s outstanding land debts, adding that the legal option is the last resort because it needs funds to provide infrastructural development.
