By Sarah NEGEDU
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has defended his administration’s aggressive revenue drive, saying the city’s survival and infrastructure development depends solely on revenue generation.
Wike, who was speaking during the commissioning of the newly completed Collector Road CN2 on Thursday, defended the recent push to recover ground rents and other taxes from Abuja property owners, stressing that the era of tax evasion by Abuja’s elites was over.
The minister who maintained that tax collection remains the only source of revenue for the territory explained that, “People say Abuja is rich. How are they rich? What Abuja collects from the federation account is one percent of what they give to the federal government every month. So, assuming that the federal government gets N800 billion every month, one percent of N800 billion is N8 billion. And that N8 billion is not enough to pay salaries. Our salary today is not less than N13 billion because of the minimum wage increase.”
“So, if we only depend on one percent of what the federal government gets every month, it means that we can only pay salaries, not to talk about carrying out infrastructure. And that’s why we’re very aggressive in saying you cannot enjoy this free of charge. You have to pay.”
Wike said the biggest challenge facing the FCTA’s revenue drive is the refusal of the city’s wealthiest residents to fulfill their tax obligations.
“The problem we are having is the big men. The big men are those who make sure they don’t pay taxes. But these big men, before they leave London, they pay their property taxes. Before they leave America, they pay their rent. They know the consequences. But in Nigeria, we always have one exclusion or the other.”
“If you know you have land here and you have not paid, I will publish your name that you have not paid. It has nothing to do that I want to embarrass you. No, we need money to do the work that we are doing. No poor man can do these houses.These houses here are being built by rich men. So, you have to pay so we can carry out the job.”
The minister also dismissed the perception that the road only benefits Judges’ Quarters. “But people are emphasizing that there is a road that leads to Judges’ Quarters. It is not only that. It is a road that connects to so many places, not just Judges’ Quarters. This road links to a lot of areas here, and luckily, Judges’ Quarters is also one of the areas that will benefit.”
The road, CN2, also known as Zakari Kyari Street connects from Arterial Road N11 (Ahmadu Bello Way) in Mabushi to Judges Quarters in Katampe and other roads.
Meanwhile, the President, Bola Tinubu, described the project as part of his administration’s commitment to urban development and national growth.
The president who was represented at the event by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu, “This project reflects our administration’s commitment to urban development and improving the quality of life for our citizens. We believe that infrastructure development is critical to national growth and development.”
He praised the FCT Minister for his leadership and transparency. “The Minister’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the implementation of the budget is commendable. His ability to deliver projects within budget and timeframe is a testament to his leadership and vision.”
