Senator Smart Adeyemi, representing Kogi West Senatorial District and Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has canvassed that owners of completed but uninhabited buildings in the FCT should be made to pay property tax to the government.
Adeyemi, who was newly appointed Chairman, Senate Committee on FCT, made this call yesterday at the National Assembly complex, Abuja, during his maiden meeting with members of the committee, He said that his campaign for property tax on uninhabited property became necessary consequent upon the growing number of uninhabited residential buildings in the nation’s capital. Adeyemi that property tax generated by the FCTA could be used to further develop the city, assuring that the FCT Committee would be alive to its responsibilities and that it would complement efforts of the Executive in further development of FCT.
He pointed out that, given the growing population in the FCT, there was need for the federal government to improve the budget of the Territory, to enable it to provide infrastructure for residents and open up more districts in the city. According to him, the N12.9 billion allocated to the FCT in the 2022 budget is grossly inadequate, pointing out that the federal government must take issues of FCT more seriously. According to him: “For the road to be good, for good security, what is allocated to Abuja today is far below what is required of this developing city. So we call on President Muhammadu Buhari before presentation of 2023 budget, we want an improvement in the capital vote for the FCT.” The lawmaker said that, in the coming week, the committee would interface with all agencies under the FCTA and contractors handling various projects, saying that the committee would work to improve all that it met for the good of the residents.
