Ground rent: I enjoy stepping on toes of ‘big men’ — Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that he enjoys stepping on the toes of ‘big men’.

Wike made this known during a media chat in Abuja, regarding his enforcement of rules regarding ground rent payments, saying all property owners in Abuja who are yet to pay their ground rent must “do so or face the music.”

He also took a swipe at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying that the party must pay the ground rent for its secretariat in Abuja.

Wike also said his predecessors in the FCT including now Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed lacked the courage to compel political bigwigs who own structures in the nation’s capital to pay their annual ground rent.

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He said, “Look at what we are doing differently. People have said that FCT was not working (but) now it is working which means I’m doing things that they (past FCT ministers) refused to do.

“I found out that most of them didn’t have the courage to annoy people, to step on toes but I take joy when I step on the toes of big men; those who say nothing will happen but I say something will happen. It makes me happy.

“All they want me to do is to make decisions against poor people saying nothing will happen to them but I say something will happen. That is why we making results. If you don’t do the right thing, too bad. I don’t care.”

The Wike administration in the FCT had published the details of 9,000 debtors in newspapers, asking them to pay their ground rents to avoid the risk of forfeiture.

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