The Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Mr. Lere Olayinka, has strongly criticized Senator Ireti Kingibe for her stance on the enforcement of ground rent payments in the Federal Capital Territory.

Kingibe, who represents the FCT in the Senate under the Labour Party, had earlier described the sealing of properties by the FCT Administration as unconstitutional, arguing that defaulting on ground rent payments was not legal grounds for arbitrary property takeover.

In a statement released in Abuja on Thursday, Olayinka dismissed the senator's comments as "illogical" and accused her of being ignorant of the provisions of the Land Use Act.

Legal Basis for Ground Rent Enforcement

"It is surprising that a serving senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, whose duty is to make laws, is ignorant of the provisions of Section 28, Subsections (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act," Olayinka stated.

He cited the relevant section of the Act, which states: "The Government may revoke a Statutory Right of Occupancy on the ground of; (a) a breach of any of the provisions which a certificate of occupancy is by Section 10 deemed to contain; and (b) a breach of any term contained in the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O)."

"Now, is annual payment of ground rent not part of the terms contained in the C of O?" Olayinka questioned, emphasizing that land allocation comes with conditions that must be met, including the annual payment of ground rent without demand notice.

The spokesman further challenged the senator, asking whether she would look away if land allottees refused to pay ground rent for 10 to 43 years if she were the FCT minister.

Ongoing Enforcement and Presidential Intervention

The dispute comes after the FCT Administration began taking over 4,794 revoked properties on Monday due to unpaid ground rent amounting to more than N6 billion.

Following the enforcement action, President Bola Tinubu intervened by granting defaulters a 14-day grace period to pay their outstanding ground rent and associated penalties.

Olayinka advised Senator Kingibe against using the ground rent enforcement issue to score "cheap political gain," suggesting that her criticism was politically motivated rather than based on legal considerations.

The exchange highlights growing tensions between the FCT Administration under Wike's leadership and some political figures over the enforcement of property regulations in the nation's capital.