The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has declared that Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, erred with the invasion of its offices by officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
The Service further stated that it was not owing any ground rent on any of its properties, rented or owned and therefore demanded an apology from Wike for the invasion which it stated was embarrassing.
FIRS, addressing a press conference on Monday, expressed strong displeasure over what it described as “the embarrassing and unjustifiable invasion of two of its offices by officials of the FCTA to enforce non-payment of ground rent.
The press conference was addressed at the Revenue House by the Director, Facility Management Department of FIRS, Mr Tyofa Abeghe; Special Adviser on Infrastructure, Kunle Ogidi; and the Media Team led by Dare Adekanmbi, Collins Omokaro and Arabirin Aderonke Atoyebi.
Declaring that the FCTA officials acted in error, FIRS refuted the allegation that it owed 25-year ground on two of its office at No 12 and 14, Sokode Crescent, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja.
Abeghe said nothing could be farther from the truth on the claim by the FCTA as, according to him, FIRS had paid the said money.
He said a demand notice from Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS), dated September 2023, asking for ground rent on the properties, was honoured with a payment of ₦2, 364, 003, three months after the notice was issued.
Frustrated that the payment had not receipted and treasury receipt issued, Abeghe claimed that he wrote a letter, dated February 19, 2024, requesting that the payment be confirmed and same receipted.
“The letter, which was duly acknowledged by the Front Desk Office of AGIS, was neither responded to nor the payment receipted,” he added.
In his own remarks, FIRS Special Adviser on Infrastructure, Ogidi, challenged the action of Wike as condemned what he described as administrative rascality of the FCTA officials, adding that they would have known the ground rent had been paid if they had done due diligence.
“As a law-abiding agency, FIRS does not owe FCTA ground rent on any of its offices anywhere in FCT, including the ones invaded by these officials.
“For clarity, on the two offices sealed which are located on Plot 627, Sokode Crescent, a sum of ₦2, 364, 003.26, covering ground rent on the properties for the Fiscal Year 2000 to 2024, has since been paid.”
Special Adviser to the chairman of the Service, Dare Adekanmbi asked:“FIRS has about seven offices in Sokode Crescent alone. Why are we going to pay ground rent on others and leave only two? Does that make sense?”
In their own remarks, Omokaro and Arabirin Atoyebi stressed the need to nurture and strengthen inter-agency collaboration to avoid future occurrence, while also apologising to the members of staff and taxpayers who were traumatised during the invasion.
