The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, said his greatest challenge as minister of the nation’s capital is residents refusing to pay their taxes.

Mr Wike stated this after he inspected ongoing projects in the city, in preparation for the inauguration to celebrate President Bola Tinubu’s second year in office.

The projects inspected are the Abuja International Conference Centre (AICC) and the extension of Phase I of the Obafemi Awolowo Way (N5), from Life Camp Junction to Ring Road III.

Also inspected is the completed interchange at NICON Junction, the road network leading to Judges’ Quarters and the road leading to Wole Soyinka Way, which were also completed.

The minister said that people want to see facilities and infrastructure but nobody cares about how the government raised the money.

He pointed out that the FCT depends solely on taxes for its revenues since it was among the oil-producing states.

He said that most elites owned houses in foreign countries and knew the implications of not paying their taxes, adding that they would lose their houses if they failed to pay.

He stated, “But when it comes to your own country, you don’t want to pay simply because nobody wants to obey the law and everybody thinks that there will be no sanction. I have said it before that it did not happen yesterday does not mean it won’t happen today; that it did not happen today does not mean it will not happen tomorrow. We must do something to support the government to get the facilities and infrastructure that we need.’’

He stated that property owners have not paid their ground rent for more than 30 years, adding that the amount had remained unchanged for a long time.

He, however, said that the FCT Administration was considering increasing the amount.

Speaking on the two weeks’ grace granted to ground rent defaulters by Mr Tinubu, the minister said that no blackmail would stop the FCT Administration from doing what it was supposed to do.

“Let nobody think that blackmail will stop us. We will do what we are supposed to do. This is about leadership. We will not give in to blackmail. If you have not paid, we will take over the property,” he said.

Mr Wike also disclosed that he had signed more than 1,500 Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) before he travelled last week, adding that people just collect the C of O and would not pay the statutory ground rent.

He noted, “It doesn’t matter what anybody wants to say; it is not acceptable. This is one of the heavy challenges we are facing and I assure you we will surmount it,” the minister said.

Speaking on the projects, the minister commended the quality of the job at the rehabilitated AICC, adding that the contractor, Julius Berger, had fulfilled its promise.

“We were also at Life Camp Junction Road to Ring Road III, which is also 95 per cent completed and Julius Berger said before next week, it will be ready. We were at the NICON Interchange, and you can see that the contractor, CGC, has done a marvellous job. They have completed the Interchange; they have completed the road network leading to the judge’s quarters, and from here to Jahi, leading to Wole Soyinka Way, has also been completed.

“I feel so happy that the contractor has lived up to expectations. The quality of work is superb and I am sure residents in this area will be very happy with Mr president,” he said.

Mr Wike added that Mr Tinubu promised to provide infrastructure to residents of Abuja and “these are some of the infrastructures he has provided.’’

The FCTA on Monday began taking over 4,794 property revoked in the territory over unpaid ground rent, amounting to more than N6 billion.

Mr Tinubu, however, gave the defaulters a 14-day grace to pay the outstanding ground rent and associated penalties.

(NAN)