The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has described as unjustified and embarrassing the decision by officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to seal off its offices in Abuja for alleged non-payment of ground rents.
The Director, Facility Management Department of FIRS, Tyofa Abeghe, told reporters that the action by the FCTA official had no basis as the tax agency was not owing any ground rent on any of its rented or properties it owns.
Abeghe spoke in the company of the Special Adviser on Infrastructure in FIRS, Kunle Ogidi; the Media Team, made up of Dare Adekanmbi, Collins Omokaro and Arabirin Aderonke Atoyebi.
They demanded an unreserved apology from FCTA for the “unjustifiable invasion of the FIRS premises”, saying they acted in error.”
The officials rejected claims by the FCTA officials that their unwarranted invasion of the premises was for the recovery of 25-year old ground rent on two of office blocks at No. 12 and 14, Sokode Crescent, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, belonging to the tax service.
Abeghe who said nothing could be further from the truth, as FIRS had since paid the said money.
He said a demand notice from Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) dated September 2023, for ground rent on the properties was honoured with a payment of N2,364,003, three months after the notice was issued.
Frustrated that the payment had not been receipted for and official treasury receipt issued, Abeghe said FIRS wrote a letter dated February 19, 2024, requesting that the payment be confirmed and official receipt issued for it.
He said the letter, which was duly acknowledged by the front desk office of AGIS, was neither responded to, nor an official receipt issued for the payment.
The Special Adviser on Infrastructure, Ogidi 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 sufficient due diligence.
“As a law-abiding agency, FIRS does not owe FCTA ground rent on any of its offices in FCT, or anywhere, 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 N2,364,003.26 covering ground rent on the properties for the fiscal year 2000 to 2024 has since been paid.
The Special Adviser to the Chairman on Media, Dare Adekanmbi, said the FIRS has about seven offices in Sokode Crescent alone, adding that it would be unthinkable for anybody to believe that the FIRS would pay ground rents on all others, except the two?
“Does that make sense?” Mr Adekanmbi asked.
For Omokaro and Arabirin Atoyebi, there is a need for the FCDA to nurture and strengthen inter-agency collaboration to avoid future occurrence of this kind of embarrassing situation, while also apologising to the members of staff and taxpayers who were traumatised during the invasion.
