The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) Nigeria has called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and direct the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to retract his threat to shut down 34 foreign embassies in Abuja over unpaid ground rent debts dating back to 2014.
The demand follows a recent disclosure by the FCT Administration (FCTA) that these embassies owe significant arrears, prompting Wike’s directive to enforce payment or face closure.
The embassies implicated include those of Ghana, Thailand, Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Russia, Philippines, Netherlands, Turkey, Guinea, Ireland, Uganda, Iraq, Zambia, Tanzania, Germany, DR Congo, Venezuela, Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Egypt, Chad, India, Sudan, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Indonesia, the European Union, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, China, and South Africa.
The debts, some spanning over a decade, have raised concerns about compliance with property regulations in the capital.
In a statement posted on X on Monday, SERAP warned that executing Wike’s threat would breach international law, specifically citing Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The group highlighted that Paragraph 1 of the article declares the premises of diplomatic missions “inviolable,” while Paragraph 3 grants immunity to mission premises, furnishings, and transport from “search, requisition, attachment, or execution.”
SERAP argued that closing embassies over unpaid rents would violate these protections, potentially straining Nigeria’s diplomatic relations.
The controversy stems from a May 26 directive by Minister Wike, who ordered enforcement action against 4,794 properties in the FCT with outstanding ground rents, some unpaid for up to 43 years.
The FCTA’s Director of Land, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, clarified that defaulters, including the listed embassies, face penalty fees of N2 million or N3 million, depending on the property’s location.
The FCTA’s move aims to recover funds and enforce compliance but has sparked debate over its implications for diplomatic entities.
SERAP’s call for presidential intervention underscores the tension between domestic administrative measures and Nigeria’s obligations under international law.
The group urged President Tinubu to act swiftly to prevent actions that could undermine the country’s standing in the global diplomatic community.
Neither the Presidency nor the FCTA had issued an official response to SERAP’s statement. The situation remains a developing issue, with potential ramifications for Nigeria’s foreign relations and its enforcement of property regulations in the capital.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
SERAP’s urgent call on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the diplomatic crisis potentially brewing over FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s threat to shut down 34 foreign embassies in Abuja for unpaid ground rent since 2014.
SERAP emphasizes the need for a more diplomatic and rights-respecting approach to resolving the issue rather than actions that could damage Nigeria’s international relations.
