The Federal Government of Nigeria says it will resolve issues concerning foreign embassies that are yet to pay their ground rent through diplomatic engagement.
Speaking to The PUNCH, Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that the matter would be jointly addressed with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) using established diplomatic procedures.
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“The ministry will take up the matter with FCTA and it will be addressed via diplomatic channels,” Ebienfa said.
This assurance follows recent media reports suggesting that up to 34 foreign diplomatic missions in Abuja could face serious sanctions, including the possibility of having their premises sealed, over unpaid ground rent dating back to 2014.
The FCTA, through an official notice, disclosed that these embassies collectively owe more than N3.6 billion in outstanding rent.
Previously, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had initiated a broader enforcement drive targeting nearly 4,800 properties across Abuja for non-payment of statutory ground rent.
However, President Bola Tinubu intervened by granting a two-week grace period for affected individuals and organisations to clear their debts.
In addition to the overdue payments, the FCTA’s Director of Land, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, revealed that defaulters are now required to pay penalty charges ranging between N2 million and N3 million, depending on the location of the property.
Some of the embassies named in the notice include the Ghana High Commission Defence Section (N5,950); Embassy of Thailand (N5,350); Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire (N5,500); Embassy of the Russian Federation (N1,100); Embassy of the Philippines (N5,950); Royal Netherlands Embassy (N5,950); Embassy of Turkey (N3,350); and the Embassy of the Republic of Guinea (N5,950).Others listed are the embassies of Ireland (N500), Uganda (N5,950), Iraq (N550), and Zambia, whose High Commission is said to owe N1,189,990.
Additional missions identified by the FCTA include the Tanzania High Commission (N6,000), German Embassy (N1,000), Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo (N5,950), Embassy of Venezuela (N459,055), Embassy of the Republic of Korea (N5,950), and the High Commission of Trinidad and Tobago (N500).
Also featured in the report are the embassies of Egypt (N5,950), Chad (N5,950), Sierra Leone Commission (N5,900), High Commission of India (N150), Sudan (N5,950), Niger Republic (N500), and the Kenya High Commission (N5,950).
The list continues with Zimbabwe (N500), Ethiopia (N5,950), and Indonesia (Defence Attaché), which reportedly owes N1,718,211.The Delegation of the European Union (N1,500), the Embassy of Switzerland (N5,950), the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia (N5,950), China’s Economic and Commercial Counselor’s Office (N12,000), the South African High Commission (N4,950), and the Government of Equatorial Guinea (N1,137,240) are also mentioned.
Several diplomatic missions have responded, challenging the validity of the claims. They argue that the published figures may be incorrect or based on unverified information.
The Russian Embassy, for instance, insists that it has no outstanding liabilities. The Turkish Embassy suggested that there may have been an administrative error leading to its inclusion on the list.The German Embassy noted that it had never received a formal notification regarding unpaid rent.
Similarly, the Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo stated publicly that all land-related dues had been settled in full and that its operations remain unaffected.
The Ghana High Commission acknowledged seeing the report but said it had not been formally contacted. It confirmed plans to engage with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify the situation.
