JamzNG Latest News, Gist, Entertainment in Nigeria
The heat exchange erupted on Thursday between the Federal Capital Region (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the FCT senator, Irtik Kingibe, for the ongoing property sealing in Abuja due to unpaid land rent.
Senator Kingibe, who represented FCT in the Senate, took problems with Clampdown, condemning it as an unconstitutional and excessive.
In a statement dated May 26, 2025, and was distributed through its official X grip, he argued that the closure of widespread property – including large institutions such as the Secretariat of the Democratic Party and Bank Access – Displays the rights of population and business owners.
“The mass closure of the building violates the rights of the population and business owners,” Kingibe said, warning that law enforcement acts “erode public trust and worsen the economic difficulties faced by the FCT population.”
In response, the minister’s office, through its senior special assistant in public communication and social media, Lere Olayinka, on Thursday, replied to Kingibe’s claims. Olayinka described Kingibe’s position as “silly ignorance” of land use and accusing him to become a personal hostil in Wike.
“It is not very embarrassing for a senator who serves not to know the provisions of part 28 of the law of land use,” said Olayinka. “Land rent is not optional. This is a legal obligation related to land ownership, and failure to pay more than 10, 20, even 43 years cannot be removed.”
Also read: Top 10 Stories from All Nigeria Newspapers, Friday, May 30
He further accused that Kingibe’s criticism was motivated politically, calling for him to “cleanse the hatred of Wike,” instead of protecting Mandan’s nausea with the guise of defending legality.
Kingibe, however, stands on his land, emphasizes that while the enforcement of land rent is important, sealing property without legal proceedings is a violation of the law. He quoted the law of land use and urban and regional planning laws, which he said described the fine or additional costs as the right punishment -not “the takeover of arbitrary property” carried out by the FCT administration.
“There is no Nigerian property that can be confiscated legally or sealed solely because of the default rental of land,” he said, describing clampdown as “indiscriminately” and “undefined” of applicable economic difficulties.
Senator Kingibe also promised to pursue legislative reforms to ensure that the enforcement of land rental payments followed the legal process and not stepping on the rights of citizens.
Olayinka, not affected, argues that the interpretation of Kingibe about the law is “selective,” stating that not paying land rent is a violation of a residential certificate, which can cause extraction.
“Will Kingibe, as Minister of FCT, folded his arms while the land owner refused to pay what was legally due for more than four decades?” He asked.
The clash occurred even when the Tinubu Ball President recently gave a grace period of 14 days to blooming to pay for their arrears. While the intervention has stopped further sealing property for now, the ongoing quarrel between Kingibe and the Wike team underlined political and in -depth tension on how to deal with land lease debts in FCT.
Kingibe, meanwhile, urged residents to remain calm and obedient to the law, convincing them, “We are committed to ensuring dialogue, justice, and legal proceedings apply.”
