Projects Completion : FCTA To Clamp Down On Tax Evaders

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike says internally generated revenue of the Administration, will henceforth be tied to the execution of certain projects.

The Minister gave this assurance while speaking on modalities to be adopted to enable the administration complete projects without delay and reliance on budgetary allocation.

He therefore advised all those evading the payment of ground rents and taxes acruable to FCTA to do that without delay, adding that the Administration would not hesitate to step on the toes of defaulters, no matter how highly placed they are, to get what is due for the FCTA.

According to the FCT Minister, it is worrisome that the elites are mostly behind the actions frustrating FCT Administration’s efforts to restore the Abuja master plan.

The Minister who made reference to the #825m compensation for indigenes with land mapped out for the construction of the Abuja airport second runway, ordered the permanent secretary to pay them before the week runs out to fast track the construction process.

Wike further revealed that the administration is burdened with debt (garnishee order) to the tune of eight hundred million dollars against the administration in court, hence the need to beam searchlight on IGR to fund projects, in view of the dwindling budgetary allocation.

Speaking on the impact of the garnishee order on the economy, the FCT Minister said the debt is enough to fund the budget of the FCTA for 10 years.

“How do you survive it? Who are those responsible for this? That there are no projects in the territory, everything has been abandoned. There is a garnishee order of $800m. Do you know what we are talking about? How do we survive it? Go and see what happened. Garnishee orders here and there”.

“The place is just corrupt… How do we survive it? Then you now said that we have come and that we should do miracles, which miracle? Where will I get the money to go and pay $800m?” Wike lamented.

Remi Johnson, Edited By Grace Namiji