Tax Default: Wike vows to take serious actions against very highly placed Persons

Favour Ishember , ABUJA

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr Nyesom Wike has vowed to take serious actions against very highly placed persons whose actions are producing a negative impact on the FCT administration.

He made this threat while inaugurating the newly elected exco members of the FCT Minister’s Press Corps on Wednesday in Abuja.

The minister said, the impact of the order on the economy amount is enough to fund the budget of the FCTA over ten years.

According to him: “No poor man lives in Asokoro, Maitama, you want the government to serve you without paying tax, it is not possible.

” Abuja is designed as one of the most beautiful cities in the world and we must ensure that we bring sanity to it.

” There is a garnishee order to the tune of $8OO million against the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

“We are coming out to tell the people that see what is on the ground, see what we have seen. I was telling the permanent secretary this morning, how can there be a garnishing order of $800m against the FCTA.

“How do you survive from it? Who are those responsible for this? That there are no projects in the territory, everything has been abandoned. There is a garnishing of $800m.

“Do you know what we are talking about? How do we survive it? Go and see what happened? Garnishing orders here and there. The place is just corrupt. The Auditor General will talk to me later. It is terrible. How do we survive it?

“Then you now said that we have come that we should do miracles, which miracle? Where will I get the money to go and pay $800m?

“If you do not tell the public what is on ground, the public will not appreciate it. So Nigerians will know what is going on.

He continued: “If you see the rots. These are things you should highlight and tell the world. But we cannot run away, we have to solve the big challenges. That is what we are here for.

“The president did not bring us here to begin to say you are my brother or sister. He brought us here because things are bad, come and help us to see how we can change it.

“But we will try as much as we can to make the changes, with the support of everybody.

“We cannot finish everything, even if they keep us here for 20 years, we cannot solve everything”, he said.