At least 34 diplomatic missions in Abuja risk being shut down by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) over unpaid ground rents dating back as far as 2014, The PUNCH reports.
A public notice issued by the FCTA lists embassies and high commissions owing a total of N3.66 million in ground rents. The list includes missions such as the Ghana High Commission, Embassy of Thailand, Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire, Russian Federation, Philippines, Netherlands, Turkey, and Guinea, among others.
While the FCTA has begun enforcing rent collection across nearly 4,800 properties revoked due to non-payment over periods of 10 to 43 years, President Bola Tinubu recently intervened, granting a 14-day grace period—ending Monday—for defaulters to settle their dues.
The FCTA Director of Land, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, said defaulters will be required to pay additional penalties ranging between N2 million and N3 million, depending on property location.
In contrast, institutions such as the Peoples Democratic Party, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, initially listed as defaulters, have since cleared their debts.
Embassies React, Deny Debts
Several missions named in the publication have rejected claims of indebtedness.
The Embassy of the Russian Federation stated: 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.
Similarly, Turkey’s Embassy attributed its inclusion to a possible bureaucratic error.
We have not received any formal notification about the debt… we will verify and resolve the matter promptly, a Turkish official said.
The German Embassy also dismissed the report, stating:
No claim or demand regarding unpaid rent has been formally brought to our attention. All financial obligations have been settled as of the end of 2024.
Ghana’s High Commission acknowledged seeing the publication but said it had not received official communication and would engage the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Other embassies, including Sierra Leone’s, expressed surprise and said they would investigate the matter internally.
FCTA Responds
In response to embassy denials, Lere Olayinka, spokesperson for the FCT Minister, said the claims would be investigated and appropriate steps taken.
Experts Urge Diplomacy
Former Nigerian ambassador to Mexico, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, urged caution, citing the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961), which protects diplomatic premises as inviolable, though he acknowledged that local laws must still be respected.
This should be handled on a case-by-case, bilateral basis, and through diplomatic channels, he advised.
Foreign affairs analyst Charles Onunaiju echoed this view, arguing that applying municipal ground rent regulations to embassies could breach international law and provoke diplomatic fallout.
Embassy premises are considered sovereign territory under international law. Any enforcement could lead to serious diplomatic consequences, he warned.