The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, has said that wealthy residents of Abuja remain the FCT’s biggest problem when it comes to voluntary tax compliance necessary for development.
Wike made the statement on Thursday during the inauguration of the newly constructed Collector Road CN2 (Zakari A. Kyari Street) in Abuja by President Bola Tinubu, as part of events marking the president’s second year in office.
The road, which stretches from Arterial Road N11 (Ahmadu Bello Way) in Mabushi to the Judges’ Quarters in Katampe District, along with several others, was constructed by the FCT Administration.
According to the minister, the affluent residents of Abuja are often reluctant to pay taxes.
He expressed concern that these same individuals willingly pay taxes and ground rent in cities like London, the United States, and other foreign countries.
He emphasized that the CN2 road and the connecting roads in Katampe District were built using the taxes and ground rent paid by law-abiding residents.
“For those who said we sealed their houses for not paying ground rent, see the value—see the product of paying ground rent,” Wike said.
“If you don’t pay, no one will provide this infrastructure because the only source of funding the city has is tax collection.
“People say Abuja is rich. How rich is it?” he asked.
He explained that Abuja receives only one percent of the amount due to the Federal Government from the Federation Account each month.
“So, assuming the Federal Government gets N800 billion monthly, one percent of that is N8 billion. N8 billion is not even enough to pay salaries.
“Our salary bill today is not less than N13 billion due to the minimum wage increase.
“So, if we depend only on the one percent allocation, it means we can barely pay salaries, let alone fund infrastructure projects.
“That’s why we’re aggressive about revenue generation. You cannot enjoy infrastructure for free. You have to pay.
“This has nothing to do with political affiliation—whether you belong to party A, B, or C,” he added.
He urged President Tinubu—who was represented at the event by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Benjamin Kalu—to speak to FCT residents about the need to pay their taxes.
He said this would enable the FCT Administration to deliver more infrastructure for the benefit of all.
Wike also reminded residents—particularly wealthy ones—that anyone who owns land in the territory and has not paid ground rent should do so immediately or risk having their name published in the newspapers as a defaulter.
He specifically noted that no poor person could afford to build in areas like Katampe and Mabushi, insisting that only the wealthy were putting up structures in such high-value locations.
“Mr. Deputy Speaker, this is what we’re talking about. If you know you have land here and haven’t paid, I will publish your name.
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