By Ben Adoga, Abuja
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has warned land owners not to default in the payment of ground rent to the FCT, saying he would not be afraid to step on toes.
He, therefore, cautioned defaulters to immediately take steps to offset their outstanding liabilities before the end of the grace period, stressing that he would match his words with actions by revoking such plots of land.
Wike restated this yesterday in Abuja at separate meetings with the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chris Isiguzo, and the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, James Chrisoff.
Cautioning those who think his utterances were mere boasts or what they call ‘initial gra-gra’ in local parlance, Wike said at the end of the ultimatum for payment, “something will happen.”
Speaking when he received the NUJ leadership, Wike said the era of abandoned projects in the FCT was over.
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 TSA. As I speak to you, I can tell you how much we have been able to save from IGR. There will be continuous funding of FCTA projects.”
On ground rents, the Minister said, “Some people are saying what we are doing is ‘initial gra-gra’, 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 ability and capacity of the Minister.
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The NUJ President requested the Minister’s support in the establishment of the proposed Media Village as well as the forthcoming national media conference.
In another development, while receiving the Canadian High Commissioner, Wike assured foreign missions and other investors of improved security in the territory.
He said security agencies were working daily to ensure that security of lives and properties was foolproof in the nation’s capital.
He said the establishment of a joint task team against ‘one-chance robbers’ has helped to address the menace, saying no incident has been recorded since the team began operation.
“Security has improved in the FCT. Security agencies have been working around the clock to ensure that the environment remains safe. For instance, 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.”
Wike said so many activities were going on in Abuja to restore the hope of the people in line with Mr President’s Renewed Hope agenda.
“We are focused on our drive to increase our Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, so we can carry out other developments. So we encourage corporate bodies, foreign missions to fulfil their tax obligations,” he stated.
Chrisoff, who commended the Wike-led administration for good initiatives such as the establishment of the Women Affairs secretariat, said his country was also interested in partnering with Nigeria in the area of agriculture, as was articulated by President Tinubu at the ongoing Nigerian Economic Summit.
Meanwhile, Wike had earlier in the day inaugurated the pioneer Secretary of Women Affairs, Mrs. Benjamins Adedayo-Laniyi, with a charge to come up with workable modalities that will help the secretariat kick off operations.
