Infrastructure: People refusing to pay taxes, my greatest challenge – Wike

• ….vows not give into blackmail

Stories by Stanley Onyekwere

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike has identified  challenge of people refusing to pay their taxes as one of the major difficulties bedeviling his administration, despite the milestone achievements recorded barely two years in office.

This assertion, was in the wake of the controversies trailing the reinvigorated effort towards improving Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) through strategic reforms and  enforcement of payment of ground rent and other taxes by the  Wike-led FCT Administration.

Wike who spoke yesterday, while fielding questions from Journalists during another round of projects inspection, ahead of the President Bola Tinubu’s 2nd year anniversary, noted that Abuja, which is not one of the oil producing cities, only relies on taxes as the major source of funding for infrastructure and other services.

In his words: “People just want facilities, people want infrastructure but nobody asks, where are you getting these funds? Abuja is not one of the oil producing cities. We only rely on taxes, and these are not new taxes. These are taxes that have been there for years.

“It is unfortunate that most elites own houses overseas. They know the implication of not paying your taxes. They know such houses are gone. But when it comes to your own country, you do not want to do that, simply because nobody wants to obey law and everybody thinks they are no sanctioned.

“That it did not happen today does not mean it will not happen tomorrow. So we must live. We must do something to say that we are also supporting government to see that those infrastructure that we need, we do our own part.

“Look at the years, 20 something years, 30 something years. And how much is it? We have not increased the ground rent but, we are working towards that. We will do that.”

He continued: “I can assure you, the President has given a window of two weeks. Let nobody think that blackmail or whatever will stop us. We will do what we are supposed to do. This is all about leadership.

“ We will not give in for blackmail. We will do the right thing. If you have not paid, we will take.

“As I travelled, I signed over 1,500 C-of-Os and (deeds of) assignments. Now, when we sign that, you collect the C-of-O, and then you will not pay taxes to the government. I mean, it’s not acceptable. It doesn’t matter what anybody wants to say, it’s not acceptable. So that’s our challenges.

“ Pay your taxes and see what we are doing. It’s not to say, FCT is doing well. How are we doing well? We are doing well because we are managing the resources we have prudently.

“ If you pay your taxes, you will see that it will be a different thing. And that’s what we are trying to do. So this is one of the heavy challenges that we are facing and we will surmount it. Be assured that we are going to surmount it.”

Meanwhile, the minister  while dismissing the purported failed attack by suicide bomber along the busy Abuja-Keffi expressway,  allayed the fears of the residents, insisting  that Abuja is still secured.

“In fact it is most secured are as far as this country is concerned. We are doing everything possible. So I did not get the report that the person is a suicide bomber. That is not correct”, he stressed.

Our correspondent reports that the minister and his team inspected the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Garki District, N5 road in Life Camp, N16 road and interchange connecting Maitama, Katampe and Gishiri  axis, which are part of projects outlined for commissioning, to celebrate the second year anniversary of Mr. President.