Pay Taxes For Infrastructural Development; Wike Tasks Residents

…Says 29 May Projects Deadline Sacrosanct

By: Wisdom Acka

FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has called on property owners in the Federal Capital Territory with outstanding ground rents to clear them, as the government needs such funds for infrastructural development.

The Minister, who gave this charge while inspecting projects across the city urged the elites and FCT residents to always pay their taxes and ground rents.

According to him, “I will always plead with everybody that they should try as much as they can to pay their ground rents. We have published the last set of those who are still owing the one for 2023”.

We gave them till 14th of December last year, after which we were going to revoke. But we are human, we believe that the ethics will not be as good as people expect, well we have extended it to another two weeks, after which we will have no choice, but to revoke the title documents, Wike reiterated.

His words : “It was only then that it would be possible for the FCT Administration to provide the needed infrastructure and services for the development of the Territory.”

Wike expressed optimism that various projects would be completed before May 29, to mark President Bola Tinubu’s one year in office.

“I think we are quite optimistic that with the speed of work, and taking advantage of the weather, we believe that by May, these projects will be ready. It is very key for us to understand that without payment of taxes, it will be very difficult for us to carry out most of these gigantic projects,” he added.

“If we don’t have the money, there is nothing we can do. Again, like we have always said to elites, they want roads, they want good environment, they want streetlights everywhere….government needs to tax people and then use that money for the development of the area”, Wike said.

The Minister explained that despite the economic situation in the country, the FCT Administration did not allow variation to prevent its prompt payment for projects; assuring the people that funds from taxes were being “managed judiciously.”

He emphasized, “first of all, whether inflation or not, that’s why we are here -to solve problems. With the taxes people pay, we try as much as we can to allocate it to the priority projects. Again, we don’t allow variation because we also try to pay as at when due, so the issue of variation does not come in.”

Some of the projects inspected include Vice President’s residence, Asokoro and Area 1 roundabouts on the Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX), Wuye Interchange, roads D6 and B12.