REFUSAL TO PAY GROUND RENT, BREACH Of LAND USE AGREEMENT– WIKE 02-06-25
By Sadiq Aminu *…Says impunity must be tackled amid blackmail, sentiments for national progress*
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Nyesom Wike, has described the refusal of elites and the bourgeoisie to pay ground rent as a breach of the land use agreement, an issue the FCT Administration must tackle head-on.
Dr. Wike, who made this statement during a monthly parley with selected media stations in Abuja, insisted that he would not allow ethnicity, religion, or party sentiments to stop him from collecting revenues payable to the FCTA.
The Minister noted that Nigerians living overseas comply with all extant laws, including tax payments, but the same individuals often find it difficult to obey Nigerian laws, describing such actions as acts of impunity.
Dr. Wike, therefore, urged Nigerians to cultivate the habit of doing the right thing, especially regarding tax compliance, as a way of contributing their quota to the development of Abuja, the nation’s capital.
He challenged all residents to pay their taxes, emphasizing that Abuja is not an oil-producing city and, therefore, requires the voluntary compliance of all taxpayers to transform it into a world-class city every Nigerian can be proud of.
According to Wike, the FCT Administration has earmarked about 85% of the 2025 budget for the completion of several ongoing critical infrastructural projects.
On accountability, Wike assured that every revenue generated would be judiciously and transparently utilized for improving, maintaining, and establishing infrastructure that would benefit the teeming residents of the FCT.
Responding to a question on whether the FCTA gave prior notice to ground rent defaulters, Wike cited cases of property owners who have owed ground rent for over 20 years, emphasizing that such behavior is highly unpatriotic.
“In the past, nobody enforced ground rent. Now, we are doing it. Truth be told, how can someone owe ground rent from 2005 to 2025? You want the government to construct good roads and hospitals, yet you refuse to pay.
“These are people who don’t want the country to progress. Does a poor man own land in Central Area, Maitama, or Asokoro? Developed countries are disciplined. Nigerians need to do the right things so that impunity will not destroy this country. Pay your taxes, then ask us what we are doing with it.”
Wike also used the opportunity to reassure residents of the FCT that any project awarded would be implemented. “It does not matter the blackmail; I will do everything possible to make people pay their ground rent,” Wike said.