Wike Criticises Nigerians Over Tax Evasion, Says Citizens Want Infrastructure Without Paying

|By Chinwendu Nwani

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has criticised Nigerians over poor tax compliance, saying many citizens demand quality infrastructure while refusing to pay taxes.

Wike made the remarks on Wednesday while inspecting ongoing road projects in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The former Rivers State governor said Nigerians often resist tax payments but are quick to criticise government agencies responsible for revenue collection.

“I’m not trying to defend AMAC when it comes to the issue of tax. Nigerians don’t like to pay tax, but they can call you all sorts of names when it has to do with taxes,” he said.

Wike, however, noted that tax authorities must adopt lawful and civilised methods in enforcing tax collection.

According to him, the Federal Capital Territory Administration had not received any formal complaints regarding alleged misconduct by the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) in the course of tax enforcement.

“However, nobody has given us such a report. If we have such a report, we will call AMAC to order because there must be a civilised way to collect taxes,” he stated.

The minister maintained that sustainable infrastructure development depends largely on citizens fulfilling their tax obligations.

“Nigerians want good infrastructure but don’t want to pay tax. They want everything free in this country,” Wike added.