‘Purge yourself of hatred for Wike’ — Lere Olayinka replies Ireti Kingibe over criticism of ground rent enforcement

Lere Olanyinka, media aide to Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has replied to Ireti Kingibe over her recent criticism of the ground rent enforcement in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

On Monday, the federal capital territory administration (FCTA) sealed off the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) office in Zone 5 over an alleged failure to pay ground rent.

FCTA officials stated that 8,375 property owners collectively owe approximately N6.97 billion, with some debts dating back more than 40 years.

Reacting to the action, Kingibe, the lawmaker representing FCT in the senate, said it is illegal to take over people’s properties over unpaid ground rent.

However, in a statement on Thursday, Olayinka said Kingibe displayed “her ignorance of the Land Use Act and penchant for seeking cheap political gains on every issue”.

He accused the senator of advertising her “myopic attitude to anything Wike”, adding that the FCTA action did not contravene the law.

“It is ridiculously embarrassing 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,” the statement reads.

“For the education of Senator Kingibe, Section 28, Subsections (a) and (b) of the Land Use Act provides that ‘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.

“Now, is annual payment of Ground Rent not part of the terms contained in the Certificate of Occupancy?

“Now, if land allottees refused to pay Ground Rent for 10 to 43 years, Senator Ireti Kingibe will just look away if she was the FCT Minister?”

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has intervened in the matter and issued a 14-day ultimatum for defaulting property owners to pay their alleged ground rent debts.