By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: Federal Capital Territory FCT minister, Nyesom Wike has clarified that his demand for the payment of ground rents, including the publication of names of defaulters, was not meant to embarrass property owners in the nation’s capital, but to raise funds for capital projects.

Wike made the clarification on Thursday during the commissioning of the Collector Road CN2, also known as Mabushi – Katampe road by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.

The minister who also inspected the Judges Quarter and N5 Road at Lifecamp immediately the commissioning, wondered why the elite have no problems meeting their financial obligations to countries where they have properties but always want to cut corners when in Nigeria.

He said; “We flagged up this project in October last year, and it was supposed to be completed within 12 months, but here we are, the project has been completed within 8-9 months, and that is why we have always said, give to those who have the capacity to deliver for the benefit of the people.

“I am sure those who have land here, their land may be growing at N200 – N300 million, but I don’t think anybody will go and attempt to say, ‘look, I want to buy land here’. You must think twice because you know that the value of land here now will be something else. The people here will benefit from it. This is what we are talking about development and I want to thank the company for showing that capacity.

“Mr President has always given us his support and that is why we are able to achieve what we are achieving.

“I said sometimes, somewhere, that for those of you who sais we sealed your houses for not paying ground rent, see the value, see the product of paying your ground rent. If you don’t pay, nobody will provide this infrastructure because the only thing the city has is just to collect taxes.

“I have said before, people say Abuja is rich. How are they rich? What Abuja collects from the Federation Account is one percent of what they give to the Federal Government every month. So, assuming that the Federal Government gets N800 billion every month, one percent of N800 billion is N8 billion and that N8 billion is not enough to pay salaries. Our salary today is not less than N13 billion because of the minimum wage increase.

“So, if we only depend on one percent of what the Federal Government gets every month, it means that we cannot even pay salaries, not to talk of carrying out infrastructure. And that is why we are very aggressive in saying you cannot be enjoying this free of charge. You have to pay. It has nothing to do with I belong to party A, I belong to party B, I belong to party C and I am going to say the problem we are having is the big men.

“The big men are those who will make sure they don’t pay taxes but these big men, before they leave London, they pay their property taxes. Before they leave America, they pay their rents. They know the consequences. But here, they will like to be chased. They will like that there should be noise. And then the next thing they will do, ‘Oh, give us time’. But in London, they won’t say give us time. In America, they won’t say give us time. In that place, they will obey. We even in Pakistan, they have obeyed. But in Nigeria, we always have one excuse or the other.

“If you know you have land here and you have not paid, I will publish your name that you have not paid. It has nothing to do that I want to embarrass you. No, we need money to do the work that we are doing. No poor man can build these houses. No poor man. These houses are being built by rich men. So, you have to pay so that we can carry out the job in the interest of our people”, he added.

The deputy speaker who represented President Bola Tinubu at the event thanked Wike for his tireless efforts in delivering infrastructure projects in the FCT.

He said the minister’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the implementation of the budget is commendable.

“His ability to deliver projects within the budget and timeframe is a testament to his leadership and vision.

“This project reflects our administration’s commitment to urban development and improving the quality of life for our citizens. We believe that infrastructure development is critical to national growth and development.

“Our administration will continue to invest in critical infrastructure, including roads, bridges, housing, transportation, education, and healthcare. We believe that infrastructure development is not an expenditure, but a good investment for the people.

“I assure you that we are committed to making sure that every Nigerian feels the impact of good governance. We will continue to work tirelessly to deliver infrastructure projects that will enhance the quality of life for our citizens”, he stated.