Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), urged ground rent debt defaulters to quickly take action to offset their outstanding commitments yesterday. He promised to back up his comments by rescinding such plots at the end of the two-week grace period.
At separate meetings in Abuja with the president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chris Isiguzo, and James Chrisoff, the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Wike made this statement.
At the conclusion of the payment ultimatum, Wike warned anyone who believed his remarks bordered on the pretence of bravery—a term is locally known as “initial gragra.” He remarked, “Something will happen.”
Wike declared that the time of abandoned projects in the FCT ended when he received the NUJ leadership.
He said, “Abandonment of projects as far as the FCT is concerned is a thing of the past. This would not have been possible without the president exiting us from the Treasury Single Account. As I speak to you, I can tell you how much we have been able to save from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). There will be continuous funding of Federal Capital Territory Administration projects.”
On ground rent, the minister 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.”
Earlier, Isiguzo expressed optimism about what he called “the transformational potential of your leadership in the FCT.” Additionally, he asked for the minister’s assistance in establishing a media village and organizing the upcoming national media conference.
Assuring foreign embassies and other investors of better security in the territory while receiving the senior diplomat of Canada, Wike stated that security services were working every day to ensure security in the nation’s capital.
He claimed that the creation of a joint task force on “one-chance robbers” had assisted in addressing the threat because no incidents have been reported since the team’s inception.
“Security has improved in the FCT. Security agencies have been working around the clock to ensure the environment remains safe. For instance, in the issue of one-chance, we set up a joint task force, and they have been working round the clock; since then, no incidence has been recorded.
“The Renewed Hope agenda of Mr. President is to restore hope to our people. The president has put modalities in place to ensure people’s hope is renewed. So many activities are going on in Abuja.
“We are focused on our drive to increase our IGR so we can carry out other developments. So, we encourage corporate bodies and foreign missions to fulfil their tax obligations,” he said.
Chrisoff praised Wike’s leadership for creating the Women Affairs Secretariat and stated that Canada has a strong interest in enhancing possibilities for young women and girls in the FCT. As stated by President Tinubu at the current Nigerian Economic Summit, his nation was also interested in cooperating with Nigeria in the area of agriculture.
Benjamins Adedayo-Laniyi, the first Secretary of Women Affairs, had been appointed by Wike earlier in the day, and he had given her the task of developing practical procedures that would aid the secretariat’s launch.
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