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Wike Says “We’ll Increase Ground Rents, Blackmail Won’t Stop Us”

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Wike

Wike Says “We’ll Increase Ground Rents, Blackmail Won’t Stop Us”

Wike says “We’ll increase ground rents, blackmail won’t stop us”. Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), says he will not succumb to blackmail over the issue of unpaid ground rent.
On Monday, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) sealed off the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) office in Zone 5 over an alleged failure to pay ground rent.

Other buildings were also shut as part of  enforcement efforts of the FCTA, which recently revoked 4,794 land titles in Wuse, Maitama, Asokoro, and Garki over “years of unpaid ground rents”.

FCTA officials said 8,375 property owners collectively owe about N6.97 billion, with some debts dating back more than 40 years.

Subsequently, President Bola Tinubu issued a 14-day ultimatum for defaulting property owners to pay their alleged ground rent debts.
PDP chieftains have criticised Wike for sealing off the its headquarters despite being a member of the party.

Speaking during an inspection of ongoing projects in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike said his greatest challenge remains the persistent refusal of residents to fulfil their tax obligations.

The FCT minister said plans are underway for a review of the ground rents for property owners in the city.

“People just want infrastructure and facilities; nobody asked where the funds are coming from. Abuja is not one of the oil-producing cities — we rely on taxes. These are not even new taxes; they are taxes that have been here for years,” he said.

Wike

Wike

“It is unfortunate that most elites own houses overseas. They know the implications of not paying your taxes. They know such houses are gone. When it comes to your country, you don’t want to do that simply because nobody wants to obey laws.
Everybody thinks that there are no sanctions.
“We have not increased the ground rent; we are working towards that. We will do that.

“The president has given a window of two weeks; let nobody think that blackmail will stop us. We will do what we are supposed to do. We won’t give in to blackmail.”

Abuja

FCTA Confirms Antivenom Stock, Warns Negligent Hospitals, Gives Emergency Lines

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FCTA

FCTA Confirms Antivenom Stock, Warns Negligent Hospitals, Gives Emergency Lines

FCTA confirms antivenom stock, warns negligent hospitals, gives emergency lines. The FCTA said all public hFCTA confirms antivenom stock, warns negligent hospitals, gives emergency linesospitals have sufficient antivenom after singer Ifunanya Nwangene’s death at FMC Jabi. Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe warned facilities to follow protocols or face sanctions, stressing that early treatment is critical.

FCTA

FCTA

The territory has added 12 ambulances, improved ICUs, and centralized antivenom storage.

Residents are urged to use emergency lines 090157892931 or 090157892932.

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Abuja

FCT Police Warn NLC Against Planned Abuja Protest, Say Proscribed Groups Plot To Hijack

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FCT Police Warn NLC Against Planned Abuja Protest, Say Proscribed Groups Plot To Hijack

FCT Police warn NLC against planned Abuja protest, say proscribed groups plot to hijack. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command has warned the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against its planned protest scheduled for Tuesday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The NLC leadership had fixed February 3 for a solidarity rally along with members of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria and the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) secretariat in Garki Area 11.

The NLC declared that the rally is to publicly affirm that “an injury to one is an injury to all”, adding that the Nigerian labour movement will not abandon its members.

On January 24, the labour body declared support for the indefinite strike by workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), describing the action as “necessary and heroic” in response to alleged violation of workers’ rights.

In a statement, Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said the labour union stood “in very strong solidarity” with FCTA workers under the aegis of JUAC.

Ajaero described the strike as “a necessary and heroic response to a vicious cocktail of neoliberal attacks, gross administrative impunity, and a systematic violation of the fundamental rights of workers by the FCTA management and its political leadership”.

However, in a statement on Monday, Josephine Adeh, FCT police spokesperson, said the command respects the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, but noted that intelligence reports indicate “plans by proscribed groups and other non-state actors to infiltrate and hijack the protest, posing a risk to public peace and safety”.

Adeh said in the interest of public safety, the organisers should consider rescheduling the protest to prevent any breakdown of law and order and to protect lives, property, and the rights of other residents.

Police

Police

“The Command remains committed to safeguarding all lawful activities and urges residents to continue cooperating with security agencies to keep the FCT peaceful and secure,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, the national industrial court has reportedly issued an interim order restraining the NLC, TUC and JUAC from embarking on the planned protest.

The court had earlier ordered workers on the payroll of the FCT administration to suspend the strike.

Emmanuel Subilim, the presiding judge, held that although the matter before the court amounted to a trade dispute, the defendants’ right to embark on industrial action was not absolute.

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Abuja

Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting, Warn Against Tampering With State’s Oil Wells

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Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting

Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting, Warn Against Tampering With State’s Oil Wells

Akwa Ibom indigenes protest RMAFC meeting, warn against tampering with State’s Oil Wells. Akwa Ibom indigenes resident in Abuja on Tuesday stormed the venue of a meeting of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), where the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) on Disputed/New Oil Wells was sitting, to protest what they described as attempts to reopen a matter already settled by the Supreme Court.

The protesters cautioned that no individual or agency should tamper with Akwa Ibom State’s 76 oil wells, stressing that the ownership of the wells was conclusively determined in favour of the state by the Supreme Court in 2012.

They insisted that any move to revisit the issue through administrative or technical processes would amount to a disregard for the authority of the apex court and could undermine peace in the Niger Delta region.

Akwa Ibom State was formally represented at the IATC meeting by a high-powered delegation comprising leading legal practitioners, government officials and technocrats. Members of the delegation included Paul Usoro, SAN; Assam Assam, SAN; the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, SAN; Uwemedimo Nwoko, SAN; Emmanuel Enoidem, SAN; and a former Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State.

Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting

Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting

Also on the state’s delegation were the Commissioner for Finance, Mr Emem Bob, Former Attorney General and Commissioner Justice, Barr. Ekpenyong Ntekim; the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Aniekan Umanah; Honourable Member representing Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency, Dr Patrick Umoh, among others.

The delegation is expected to present Akwa Ibom State’s position before the committee, reiterating that the Supreme Court judgment remains final and binding, and urging all relevant federal agencies to respect and uphold the ruling.

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