Tensions Rise as Tinubu Meets FIRS Chairman Over Wike’s Abuja Clampdown

President Bola Tinubu on Monday, May 26, held a crucial meeting with Zacch Adedeji, the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. This meeting came just hours after the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), led by Minister Nyesom Wike, sealed the FIRS office in Abuja’s Zone 5.

The clampdown by the Wike-led FCTA was reportedly due to FIRS’s alleged failure to pay ground rent for over two decades. According to the FCTA, the tax agency, along with several others including the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had defaulted on ground rent payments for the past 25 years.

In response, the FIRS condemned the FCTA’s action, describing the sealing of its office as “unprofessional” and “malicious.” The development has triggered a wider political and institutional dispute, especially as the FCTA simultaneously shut down buildings belonging to several agencies and organisations.

The action comes after Wike’s FCTA issued warnings last year to 3,273 land allottees — including top political figures and corporate bodies — to settle their outstanding ground rents or face revocation of their Rights of Occupancy. Among those reportedly affected are children of former President Muhammadu Buhari and Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Tinubu.

Meanwhile, tensions are also rising within the PDP, as the FCTA sealed the party’s national headquarters. Wike, a former PDP stalwart and now the FCT Minister, has expressed frustration over unmet political agreements with party leaders. He declared he would now pursue his political battles independently, singling out Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde as a key figure who betrayed their pact.

Adding to the controversy, Wike recently requested Senate approval for the establishment of a dedicated FCT Security Fund. The minister argued that such a fund would allow for more efficient security operations without bureaucratic delays, especially in light of escalating insecurity in the capital.