Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has urged the elites and residents of Abuja to pay their taxes and ground rents.
The payment, he said, would allow for adequate funding of projects and infrastructure development in the nation’s capital.
Wike spoke after inspecting ongoing projects, including the Vice President’s residence, under construction by Julius Berger Construction; the Asokoro and Area 1 roundabouts on the Outer Southern Expressway, being handled by CGC Construction; Wuye Bridge, under construction by Arab Contractors Limited; and roads D6 and B12, also handled by Julius Berger.
The FCT Administration has warned that over 9,671 title owners who failed to pay their ground rents last year were at the risk of losing their lands, if they failed to pay within two weeks.
Top on the list are foreign embassies, who the administration said are owing over $5.3 million for failing to pay for last year’s rent.
According to a publication in some national dailies by FCTA’s Director of Information and Communication, Muhammad Hazat Sule, others include companies and individuals who are collectedly owing N2,205,079,937.
The publication reads: “The FCT Administration hereby reminds the general public, particularly allotees of land(s) within the FCT, of their obligation to the FCTA, as stipulated in the covenanted terms of the Certificate of Occupancy to wit ‘to pay in advance, without demand to the Honorable Minister, FCT, the annual ground rent from the first day of January of each year”.
“All allottees, property owners, as well as beneficiaries of the sale of Federal Government houses in the FCT who could not pay or settle their outstanding ground rents for the Year 2023, are hereby advised in their interest to ensure payment within two weeks from the date of this publication, failure of which such titles shall be revoked”.
Wike urged the FCT residents to pay their taxes and ground rents to allow for adequate funding of projects and infrastructure development in the territory.
He said: “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 them to the priority projects. Again, we don’t allow variation. Why? It’s because we also try to pay as at when due. So, the issue of variation does not come in”.
The minister called for the support of FCT residents, saying the taxes and ground rents they paid were being managed judiciously for the delivery of various projects.
