The FCTA has imposed a ₦5m fine and new fees on Abuja landowners who illegally convert residential plots to commercial use, warning of title revocation.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has introduced fresh measures to curb the widespread abuse of land use in Abuja.
Landowners who have converted residential plots into offices, hotels, or other commercial facilities without proper authorization will now face heavy penalties, including a ₦5 million fine.
This decision follows the submission of a detailed report by a special committee set up to investigate the misuse of properties in some of the city’s busiest districts.
The panel, chaired by the Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, revealed that major streets such as Gimbiya in Garki, Gana in Maitama, and Ademola Adetokunbo in Wuse II have been overrun by unauthorized conversions, structural extensions, and illegal property mergers.
To restore order, the committee recommended that affected properties be officially converted to commercial status, but only after payment of new charges.
These include a 7.5% land use conversion fee based on the property’s current capital value and additional Right of Occupancy fees applicable to the new purpose.
Owners of properties with illegal extensions or subdivisions are also to pay an extra 2% penalty fee within 30 days of approval.
Where compliance is not achieved, the report advised strict enforcement—ranging from sealing off buildings and demolishing unapproved structures to outright revocation of land titles.
The committee further recommended that new title documents be issued for compliant properties, with a fresh lease term of 99 years, while also calling for improved infrastructure such as traffic management, upgraded power supply, and better waste control in the affected neighborhoods.
Reacting to the report, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike warned that the administration would no longer condone disregard for the city’s master plan.
He stressed that areas designated for specific purposes must remain so, and that any attempt to alter land use without approval would attract stiff consequences.
“If an area is meant to be residential, it must remain residential. If it is commercial, let it remain commercial. Those who refuse to comply will have their titles revoked,” Wike cautioned.
The minister also gave owners of undeveloped plots in the Central Business District and Phase II Sector Centres a three-month ultimatum to commence development or risk losing their allocations.