Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he will not yield to pressure or blackmail concerning the enforcement of ground rent payments in Abuja.
Gatekeepers News reports that on Monday, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) sealed off several buildings, including the national headquarters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) office in Zone 5, over alleged non-payment of ground rent.
Other properties across Wuse, Maitama, Asokoro, and Garki were also affected, following the revocation of 4,794 titles due to years of default.
According to FCTA officials, a total of 8,375 property owners owe an estimated ₦6.97 billion in ground rent, with some debts going back over four decades.
Subsequently, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave the defaulters 14 days deadline to clear their outstanding payments.
The sealing of the PDP secretariat has sparked criticism from party leaders, who criticised Wike for sealing off its headquarters despite his continued membership in the party
Wike addressed the issue during a site inspection of ongoing projects in Abuja on Tuesday. He said that a major challenge in FCT is the refusal of residents to fulfill their tax obligations. He added that a review of current ground rent rates is underway.
He said, “People just want infrastructure and facilities; nobody asked where the funds are coming from.”
“Abuja is not one of the oil-producing cities — we rely on taxes. These are not even new taxes; they are taxes that have been here for years.”
“It is unfortunate that most elites own houses overseas. They know the implications of not paying your taxes. They know such houses are gone. When it comes to your country, you don’t want to do that simply because nobody wants to obey laws. Everybody thinks that there are no sanctions.”
“We have not increased the ground rent; we are working towards that. We will do that.”
“The president has given a window of two weeks; let nobody think that blackmail will stop us. We will do what we are supposed to do. We won’t give in to blackmail.”
