Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory’s (FCT) minister, has criticized Abuja’s wealthy citizens, claiming that they are the main barrier to voluntary tax compliance, which is necessary to provide the city’s vital infrastructure.
Wike said this on June 20, 2025, when the Collector Road CN2 (Zakari A. Kyari Street) was formally put into service. President Bola Tinubu officially opened the road, which connects Katampe District to Ahmadu Bello Way in Mabushi, as part of events commemorating his second year in office.
Wike claims that these “big men” frequently neglect to pay taxes and ground rentals in Abuja while voluntarily fulfilling their tax duties outside in areas like the US and London. He pointed out that the CN2 and its connected highways were made possible by taxes and ground rents paid by law-abiding citizens.
“No one will supply this infrastructure if you don’t pay. Wike underlined that the city depends on taxes to pay for these initiatives.
To finance development, FCT needs more revenue.
According to Wike, Abuja barely receives 1% of the Federal Government’s monthly allotment, which is insufficient to support infrastructure projects and pay salaries, which are currently over ₦13 billion due to minimum wage increases.
Abuja is said to be wealthy. What is its wealth? We can hardly pay salaries if we rely solely on federal funding,” he stated.
In order to promote compliance, he cautioned that the names of those who have not paid their taxes will soon be published in media and asked the people of the Federal Capital Territory to view it as a civic obligation.
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Wike and President Tinubu Give Infrastructure Priority
CGC was in charge of the CN2 road project, which was officially launched in October 2024. It has two carriageways, although Katampe District’s other connecting highways only have one.
The road was constructed to allow the district to be developed further, according to Richard Dauda, Acting Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
During the inauguration, Wike also inspected other ongoing projects, such as the Judges Quarters in Katampe and the soon-to-be-commissioned N5 Road (Obafemi Awolowo Way), which connects Life Camp to Ring Road III.
“In order to continue providing the infrastructure that residents want, we need them to pay their taxes,” Wike continued.
Important Takeaway
Wike’s call emphasizes how crucial tax compliance is to the construction of Abuja’s infrastructure. The FCT administration is depending on responsible citizens to carry out their civic duties and contribute to the development of the city because the federal funding is insufficient.
