The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has declared that the biggest challenge facing the FCT in achieving voluntary tax compliance for development is the wealthy residents, whom he described as “big men.”
Wike made this remark on Thursday during the inauguration of the newly constructed Collector Road CN2 (Zakari A. Kyari Street) in Abuja. The road was commissioned by President Bola Tinubu, represented by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Benjamin Kalu, as part of activities marking the President’s second year in office.
The road, which connects Arterial Road N11 (Ahmadu Bello Way) in Mabushi to Judges Quarters in Katampe District, is one of several constructed by the FCT Administration.
The minister criticized affluent Abuja residents for their unwillingness to pay taxes.
He, however, expressed concern that these same individuals pay taxes and ground rent voluntarily in foreign countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States.
He noted that the newly inaugurated CN2 road and the other connecting roads in Katampe District were made possible through the taxes and ground rents paid by responsible residents.
“For those who said we sealed their houses for not paying a ground rent, see the value; see the product of paying a ground rent,” Wike said.
“If you don’t pay, nobody will provide this infrastructure because the only thing the city has is just to collect taxes.
“People say Abuja is rich. How rich is it?” he asked.
He explained that the FCT receives only one per cent of the revenue due to the Federal Government from the Federation Account each month.
“So, assuming that the federal government gets N800 billion every month. One percent of N800 billion is N8 billion Naira, and 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 per cent of what the federal government gets every month, it means that we can only pay salaries, not to talk about carrying out infrastructure.
“That’s why we’re very aggressive in saying you cannot enjoy infrastructure free of charge. You have to pay.
“It has nothing to do with ‘I belong to party A; I belong to party B, I belong to party C’,” he said.
He urged President Tinubu, through his representative Mr Benjamin Kalu, to encourage FCT residents to take tax obligations seriously.
This, he emphasized, would enhance the FCT Administration’s ability to deliver critical infrastructure projects across the territory.
Wike also issued a stern warning to property owners, especially the wealthy, that failure to pay ground rent would result in public exposure.
“Mr Deputy Speaker, see what we are talking about. 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. No poor man. These houses are being built by rich men. So, you have to pay so we can carry out the job of delivering critical infrastructure.
“We need people to pay their taxes so that we will carry out development in the interest of our people,” he added.
Earlier, Mr Richard Dauda, Acting Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), said the project was executed by CGC and was flagged off in October 2024.
Dauda explained that the CN2 road was constructed as a dual carriageway with two lanes on each side, while the other roads in the area were built as single carriageways.
He noted that the road projects were designed to provide infrastructure and open up Katampe District for further development.