By Mark Mayah
Diplomats and dons yesterday advised Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Barr. Nyesom Wike, to tread carefully and prioritize diplomacy in handling the ground rent issue with foreign embassies in order to maintain good relationships with the countries.
The experts said the action had the potential of straining Nigeria’s bilateral relationship with the countries involved and called on the president to intervene.
Recall that the minister had alleged that the affected embassies owed the government a backlog of unpaid ground rent, totaling N3.7 million, spanning 10 years (since 2014.)
President Bola Tinubu had set a deadline for the payment of outstanding ground rent, which will expire today.
The President’s ultimatum came after the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, commenced enforcement on 4,794 revoked properties due to non-payment of ground rent, spanning between 10 and 43 years.
Speaking, Ambassador Sulaiman Dahiru, former career diplomat, cautioned the government to handle its relationship with diplomatic missions carefully, saying diplomatic premises were inviolable under bilateral and multilateral agreements.
While urging the FCT to desist from actions that could strain diplomatic relationships, Dahiru said the FCT’s actions might violate international diplomatic norms.
He argued that the FCT lacked the authority to close diplomatic premises or impose taxes or ground rent, saying it fell under the purview of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Nigeria has to be careful in the manner it handles its relationship with diplomatic missions domiciled in Nigeria. In diplomacy, all diplomatic and consular premises, including Chancery, Ambassadors/ High Commissional residences, and all diplomats houses are inviolate. FCT has no authority to violate these premises for whatever reason.
“Diplomats and diplomatic/ consular premises do not pay tax. Why should they be subjected to closure because of tax or ground rent? Plots of land are allocated to diplomatic/consular missions / posts on the basis of agreement. Nigeria allocates a plot of land and the country concerned reciprocates by allocating a plot of land to Nigeria. Ground rent or any type of tax is waived off. Therefore, on what basis is the FCT taking the action?
“Moreover, did the FCT sound the opinion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this delicate matter? If the diplomatic/ consular premises were bought from Individuals, they are no longer individual premises. In this connection, ground rent or taxes cannot be imposed without attracting reciprocal treatment,” he remarked.
Reacting, former Nigeria Amb to the US, Joe Keshi, also called for caution, saying the action could trigger diplomatic rupture between Nigeria and the countries involved.
He said Wike should have consulted the minister of foreign affairs before taking the decision.
Speaking on the FCT minister’s decision, Prof. Babatunde Ayeleru of the Department of European Studies, University of Ibadan, said that diplomacy was crucial in resolving the matter to avoid misinterpretation and negative impact on Nigeria’s government and relationships with foreign countries.
He called for the Minister to avoid unnecessary attention and tension, as it may harm Nigeria’s relationships with other countries, while commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s prompt intervention in a similar issue recently, saying that the FCT Minister can learn from the approach.
“I will like to enjoin the Honorable Minister of FCT to thread softly in sorting out the matter of ground rent with foreign embassies. The Minister needs to be tactful and diplomatic. When we talk of relationships with foreign countries, we are talking of diplomacy.
“Let the Minister be diplomatic and tactful. Any faux-pas from him can be misinterpreted and can impact negatively on the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We need as many friends as we can have to grow our economy and strengthen the security of life and prosperity of our dear nation. We do not need any action that can set foreign countries against us (Nigeria),” he said.
Speaking in the same vein, Dipo Kolawole, CEO, French Village, said that poor handling of the issue could potentially strain Nigeria’s bilateral relationships, causing diplomatic tensions and disrupting cooperation in trade, security, and culture.
He stated that it could lead to reciprocal actions, harming Nigeria’s economy and called on the Minister to be lenient. He also called on the President to intervene, while also expecting the embassies to pay their dues and maintain cooperative relationships.
He said: “The planned closure of 34 embassies in Abuja by the Minister due to unpaid ground rents could potentially strain Nigeria’s bilateral relationships with the countries involved. The closure could lead to diplomatic tensions, affecting cooperation in areas like trade, security, and cultural exchange and also, it might disrupt communication channels, making it challenging to resolve issues or negotiate agreements.
“These affected countries might equally consider reciprocal actions, such as closing Nigerian embassies in their territories an action that will further complicate diplomatic relations and negatively impact trade relations, potentially affecting Nigeria’s economy.
“I strongly opine that the affected embassies should also show a level of commitment to maintaining respectful and cooperative relationships with the Nigerian government by paying all necessary ground rents as at when due.”
Prof. Josh Bolarinwa, Director of Research at the Nigerian institute of International Affairs, NIIA, said that shutting down the embassies would have serious implications in bilateral relations between Nigeria and the countries and would amount to an attack on the countries involved.
Citing an instance of the incident between Nigeria and Ghana in 2021 when the Ghanaian government pulled down the fence of the Nigeria’s High Commission in Accra down over unpaid ground rent, Bolarinwa advised the Minister to ensure that his actions were within the bounds of international law.
