FCT – IRS Stages Road Show, Vow To Prosecute Recalcitrant Defaulters

The Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service, FCT-IRS, has warned Organizations and individuals yet to file their 2024 annual tax returns to do so now to avoid sanctions.

Acting Executive Chairman of the Service, Mr Michael Ango, who gave the warning during its annual sensitization roadshow in Abuja, said the Service has all the legal backings to prosecute recalcitrant defauters for none compliance.

While noting that the deadline for organisations in filling tax returns is 31st January every year, while that of individuals ends 31st of March, Ango expressed displeasure that some organizations were yet to voluntarily comply.

Ango however hinted that letters would be written to Organizations that failed to file their 2024 tax returns at the end of January 2025, giving them a window of two weeks grace to pay up, after which, such Organizations will be compelled to pay #500, 000 naira penalty and even a jail term for defaulting Agencies CEOs.

“But that’s just not it. We also have the power to prosecute you. Criminal prosecution. we can proceed against the principal officers of the company. We can go against the managing directors, the directors, and whoever we deem is responsible for this non-compliance.”

The FCT – IRS Boss therefore urged taxable citizens in the FCT to choose voluntary tax compliance over compulsion as a means of contributing their own quota to the development and building of Abuja into a world class city that every Nigerian will be proud of.

According to Ango, the series of completed projects as well as the ongoing execution of massive, capital intensive infrastructural projects across the length and breathe of the city, is a demonstration of prudent utilization of tax payers money under the Wike led- Administration.

He expressed optimism that with voluntary tax compliance, more money would be generated to execute additional people oriented projects as well as maintenance of existing infrastructure, like schools, hospitals, roads, security and provision of basic amenities- pipe borne water among others.

“Within the last one year or thereabout, FCT has focussed on infrastructure, rehabilitation of roads, schools, hospitals and other social infrastructure. All of this costs a lot of money to achieve.”

“Anyone who has been a resident of Abuja in the last year and a half will attest to the fact that the Honourable Minister of the FCT, His Excellency Barrister Nyesom Wike, CON, has shown a singular-minded commitment to improving the face of the FCT.

“But the Honourable Minister cannot achieve this with his personal funds, he can also not achieve it with the subvention or the allocation from the Federal Government alone.This is where we as the FCT IRS come into play.” Ango said.

The FCT- IRS boss also announced that plans have been concluded to set up kiosks in strategic locations like market Squares, Plazas, Malls to take care of the informal sector to promote ease of doing business in the territory.

Mr Ango particularly commended Organizations that had filed, and attributed their compliance to the giant feat the Service attained in revenue generation in January 2025 alone, to the tune of over N43bn, even as he hopes to surpass the N262bn generated in 2024 by the end of this year.

“We also want to assure the general public that as time goes on, we will also undertake certain corporate social responsibility as much as we can within the budget constraints that we have.”

“We have another deadline coming up in another 30 days or so, which is the individual annual returns…We want to see compliance as high as possible.Abuja is a city that needs revenue for development.”

“The Abuja that we envisage is an Abuja that can compete with any major capital city in the world. The Honourable Minister has said that it is his vision, and we believe that that vision is achievable.” Ango assured.

Remi Johnson, Edited By Grace Namiji