- Dismisses suicide bomber claims
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday reiterated his administration’s determination not to yield to blackmail from any quarter, particularly regarding the enforcement of ground rent payments.
This is even as he stressed that his greatest challenge remains the refusal of some residents—especially the elite—to pay ground rents, despite these being longstanding, unchanged obligations.
“My greatest challenge is the challenge of people refusing to pay their money. I will speak on that in the next media chat. And people just want facilities, people want infrastructure. But nobody asks, where are you getting these funds? Abuja is not one of the oil cities, we only rely on taxes. These are not new taxes. These are taxes that have been here for years,” Wike stated.
President Bola Tinubu had granted a 14-day ultimatum for defaulters to pay their arrears, along with penalties ranging from N2 million to N3 million, depending on property location.
Speaking on the recent sealing of properties belonging to ground rent defaulters, including major institutions like the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, the National Agency for Trafficking in Persons, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Access Bank, and a TotalEnergies Filling Station, which have drawn criticism, Wike said: “It is unfortunate that most elites own houses overseas. They know the implication of not paying taxes, they know such houses are gone. But when it comes to your own country, you don’t want to do that, simply because nobody wants to obey the law, everybody thinks there are no sanctions.
“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, I can assure. The President has given a waiver of two weeks. Let nobody thinks that blackmail or whatever will stop us, we will do what we are supposed to do,” he stated.
He also revealed that he recently signed over 1,500 Certificates of Occupancy and Deeds of Assignment, urging residents to pay their taxes and ground rents to support development in the FCT.
“If you pay tax, you will see that it will be a different thing. And that’s what we are trying to do,” Wike said.
The minister also addressed recent security concerns, denying reports of a suicide bombing in Abuja. He described such claims as deliberate misinformation intended to create panic.
“No security agency has confirmed it was a suicide bomber. People must stop creating unnecessary fear in the minds of residents,” Wike said. “What happened was that someone took an explosive used for blasting rocks at a quarry site and put it in his pocket. It exploded. That is not terrorism, and we must stop misleading the public.”
The minister reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to strengthening security and urged responsible journalism and public cooperation.
The minister who was on an inspection visits to ongoing projects, including the N5 Road at Life Camp, the Guzape Interchange, and the renovated International Conference Centre said: “This is what the President promised: development through road infrastructure, and we are delivering”.