‘Pay If You Want To Use Abuja’: Tinubu Backs Wike’s Crackdown On Embassies, Agencies Over Unpaid Ground Rents

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has thrown his weight behind Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike’s aggressive campaign to recover unpaid ground rents—targeting embassies, government agencies, and private entities in Abuja.

Speaking at the commissioning of the newly renovated Abuja International Conference Centre, now renamed in his honour, Tinubu said, “Our Nigeria first! You must obey what the landlord (Wike) says: if you want to use this place, you got to pay for it.”

The event, held Tuesday in central Abuja, was attended by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other top government officials. Tinubu praised Wike’s “transformational leadership,” urging him to ignore critics and press forward with the enforcement drive.

The president’s endorsement comes on the heels of a May 26 directive by the FCT Administration threatening enforcement action against 4,794 defaulting property holders—including 34 foreign diplomatic missions. According to the FCTA’s Director of Land, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, the embassies owe ₦3.66 billion in cumulative unpaid rent since 2014.

However, the move has sparked alarm among legal experts and diplomats. Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has condemned the plan, warning that sealing embassies would breach Nigeria’s obligations under international law.

Falana cited the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and Nigeria’s own Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act of 1961, both of which protect foreign missions from taxes, including ground rents.

“It is indisputable that embassies are exempted from payment of taxes and rates including ground rents,” Falana said. “The government lacks the legal power to seal off embassy premises for such debts.”

He further stressed that embassies enjoy immunity from local jurisdiction and that any attempt to compel payment would have to go through diplomatic or judicial channels—where it would likely fail.

Reports indicate that many embassies were not formally notified of the debts and learned of the crackdown through the media. This, Falana argues, not only undermines diplomatic protocol but also risks straining Nigeria’s foreign relations.

Some domestic agencies—including the PDP, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, and NAPTIP—have reportedly cleared their dues. But many others remain in default, raising questions about enforcement consistency and due process.

With Tinubu’s support bolstering Wike’s stance and Falana raising red flags, the standoff now places Nigeria at the intersection of fiscal assertiveness and diplomatic restraint.