The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCT) has appealed to the residents of the nation’s capital to endeavor to pay their taxes, especially ground rents and other land related charges.
The FCT said the payment of tax is a constitutional obligation on the citizenry, which would assist the authorities to provide critical infrastructure and social services.
The FCT director of information and communications, Muhammad Hazat Sule, stated this during an interaction with the Abuja Editors’ Forum on Wednesday at the Archives and History Bureau, Central Business District (CBD), Abuja.
Sule said the FCT administration needs funds to provide critical infrastructure and other essential services for the well-being of the residents of the nation’s capital.
He lamented that most of the residents found it difficult in paying the prescribed taxes, even though they know that non-payment of tax was a breach of the law.
The director emphasised that non-payment of tax could deny a citizen of his fundamental rights and therefore, appealed to the residents to pay their taxes in order not to run afoul of the law.
According to him, the present leadership of the FCT Administration under the FCT minister, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, is breaking new grounds in the provision of necessary infrastructure; revealing that six regional roads as well as important roads in the Satellite Towns of the FCT are being rapidly developed by the Administration.
He stated that the paucity of funds is hindering the government from speedily completing some of signature projects embarked upon by the administration.
Sule said the present administration inherited a lot of abandoned projects, but was working assiduously to complete them in line with President Muhammadu Buahari’s vision for the growth and development of the nation’s capital city.
He appealed to the Abuja Editors Forum to support the administration by positively reporting its laudable programmes and activities.
Responding on behalf of the forum, Mr. Malachy Uzendu, the editor of The Authority Newspaper, commended Sule for organising the meeting, which he said had exposed the editors to the numerous infrastructure projects being executed by the FCT Administration, which had remained under reported.
He said the FCT is very dear to their hearts because majority of them had worked and lived their entire life in Abuja and would do everything to support the administration to succeed.
Ex-Minister Tasks Communities On Self-help Projects
Senator representing Benue-South Senatorial zone, Abba Moro, has said that it is imperative for communities to execute self-help projects in furtherance of the overall development of the society.
Speaking at the inauguration of a multi-purpose hall at Ipole Oko Orokam in Ogbadibo local government area, built by the Opiatoha Oko Development Association, Moro emphasized that since government does not have the capacity to meet all the development needs of the people at once, communities would do well to help themselves by executing worthwhile projects.
He commended the Opiatoha Oko Development Association for constructing the gigantic hall for the use of the community and called on other associations to undertake such projects.
Moro, who also inaugurated the community’s security and advisory committees, charged members to discharge their responsibilities with the fear of God while being sincere, firm, fair and just to all.
He promised to support the efforts of the association towards addressing the erosion challenge of the community and expressed happiness that many members of the community had spoken kind words about his person.
In a remark, former member of the House of Representatives for Otukpo-Ohimini, Chief Ezekiel Adaji, commended the community for executing the hall project and called for more of such development projects.
On his part, the chairman of the occasion, Mr Samson Abah, represented by Elder Abel Ujah spoke glowingly about the accommodating disposition of Moro and thanked him for gracing the event.
On his part, the third class traditional ruler of Orokam-Owukpa, Chief Joseph Ikwuje, who also represented the Ad’Ogbadibo, Chief Emmanuel Odeh, expressed admiration for the commitment of members of Opiatoha Oko Development Association to the progress of their community and urged them not to relent.
Earlier, the president of the association, Chief Joseph Obekpa, had cried out over the insecurity and erosion challenges threatening the very existence of the community and appealed for government intervention.
