Mr Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has re-stated his threat to clamp down on debtors of ground rents in the nation’s capital.
He spoke while receiving the President, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chris Isiguzo and the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr James Chrisoff, at different times in Abuja on Tuesday.
Persecondnews reports that ground rent is a tax charged by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on landed properties in the nation’s capital.
The minister said the enforcement of the policy will boost internally generated revenue (IGR) and the continuous funding of FCTA projects.
He said: “Abandonment of projects as far as the FCT is concerned is now a thing of the past. This would not have been possible without the president exiting us from the TSA.
“As I speak to you, I can tell you how much we have been able to save from the IGR.”
On ground rents, Wike also said: “Some people are saying what we are doing is ‘initial gragra’, but I want to say that at the end of the day, something will happen. We will step on toes because you cannot have governance without stepping on toes.
“I did not make the laws but I and my colleague, the Minister of State have the political will to enforce the laws”.
Persecond News gathered that non-payment of ground rent from about 66,267 land allottees in Abuja has accumulated to N34 billion as at September 2023.
Collection of rent tax from June to July was at its lowest ebb, but following the minister’s action in August, ground rent earnings rose to N500 million, growing steadily to over N1 billion.
The Acting Director of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS), Mr Isiaku Ndatsu Alfa, disclosed that the FCTA had collected N1.9 billion in less than a month from defaulting property owners.
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