FCT Minister Nyesom Wike signalled an impending hike in ground rent in Abuja; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar accused the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration of plunging Nigeria into a debt crisis, warning of long-term consequences for the country’s future, as former President Muhammadu Buhari cited medical reasons for missing ECOWAS’ 50th anniversary. Meanwhile, Education Minister Tunji Alausa urged WAEC candidates to shun malpractice, just as Senator Gabriel Suswam declared the PDP to be in “intensive care” amid internal strife.
Wike speaks on impending ground rent hike
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said his administration is working towards increasing the cost of ground rent in Abuja, the country’s capital.
Wike told journalists while inspecting ongoing projects that the refusal to pay ground rent and other taxes by property owners had been his greatest challenge in office.
Weekend Trust reports that Wike, on assumption of office, had prioritised revenue generation, mainly from landed properties, to fund infrastructural development in the country’s capital.
His aggressive approach on this, however, attracted more criticism from not only property owners but also political opponents.
The FCT Administration, under his watch, had in March announced the revocation of over 4700 properties in Abuja for not paying ground rent, amounting to over N6 billion.
On Monday, the administration began sealing up the affected properties, which included the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), a branch of Access Bank and a TotalEnergies Filling Station, among others.
The leadership of the PDP and the FIRS had challenged the action of the Wike-led FCTA, describing it as unprofessional and an affront to the country’s democracy.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, however, intervened by approving a 14-day grace period, within which the amounts owed should be paid, as well as penalties of between N2 million and N3 million, depending on their location.
Addressing journalists after inspecting ongoing projects in Abuja, Wike lamented that while residents wanted infrastructure in the FCT, they failed to support the government by paying their taxes, noting that many of the debtors owed as many as 20 years even though the ground rent has remained the same for many years.
He said, “My greatest challenge are the people refusing to pay their money. I will speak on that in the next media chat. And people just want facilities, people want infrastructure. But nobody asks, ‘Where are you getting these funds from?’ Abuja is not one of the oil cities, we only rely on taxes. These are not new taxes. These are taxes that have been there for years.
‘’It is unfortunate that most elites own houses overseas. They know the implication of not paying taxes; they know such houses are gone. But when it comes to your own country, you don’t want to do that, simply because nobody wants to obey the law; everybody thinks there are no sanctions.
Alausa warns WAEC candidates against shortcut to success
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has asked students writing the ongoing 2025 Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) organised by the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) to avoid using shortcuts but to work hard to excel in life.
The minister said this while inspecting one of the schools where the CBT is being test-run in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said the processes put in place by WAEC to commence the Computer Based Test (CBT) for the ongoing examination is extremely difficult for anyone to hack.
He said the system of writing examinations with paper and pen was plagued with all forms of malpractices, which CBT will help to eliminate.
“Please continue to work hard, study hard; and as you do this, the resultant effect is that whatever exam you do, you will pass.
“And as you navigate your life journey, you will excel. Don’t take the shortcut; anyone that takes the shortcut is bound to fail. Challenge yourself, be disciplined and be a patriotic citizen,” he said.
He said the earlier they adopted CBT, the better for the students and officials.
“We have clear evidence that when exams are done using technology, we are able to minimise the level of fraud to almost zero.
“WAEC has shown that we can do CBT and it is easy. I went to their control room; and at the internal control, with the processes they put in place and what WAEC is doing now, it is going to be extremely difficult and actually impossible for anybody to hack into the system because they are working via the local area network. It is not connected to the cloud, so it is literally impossible for anybody to hack into the system.
“They have gotten it right. So fully, in November, all the November exams objectives will be CBT. By the time we get to 2026, essays and objectives will be CBT for WAEC and NECO.
In terms of providing the needed infrastructure for schools to comfortably migrate to CBT, Alausa said the government would be challenged to do so.
Buhari cites medical reasons for absence at ECOWAS anniversary
Former President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his inability to attend the 50th anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held in Lagos on Wednesday was due to a medical checkup in the United Kingdom.
In a letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu, Buhari congratulated the regional bloc on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, while expressing regret over his inability to attend the historic celebration.
“Regrettably, as Your Excellency is aware, I am currently in the United Kingdom undergoing routine medical checkups; and therefore, unable to attend this historic event,” Buhari wrote.
He lauded the achievements of ECOWAS over the past five decades, acknowledging the regional body’s resilience in the face of daunting challenges.
“I congratulate Your Excellency and other Heads of State and Government on the attainment of this Golden Jubilee by ECOWAS,” he stated.
Buhari also paid tribute to General Yakubu Gowon (retd), Nigeria’s former military head of state, the only surviving founding father of ECOWAS, commending his pivotal role in the creation of the regional bloc in 1975.
The anniversary celebration marked a milestone for ECOWAS, which was formally inaugurated in Lagos in 1975.
Atiku says Tinubu govt addicted to loans, mortgaging Nigeria’s future
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is addicted to loans.
Atiku, in a post on his X handle, also lamented that the Presidency was mortgaging the future of young Nigerians, describing the latest loan request as an economic sabotage.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the last general elections called on lawmakers, civil society organisations, the media and the international community to take urgent actions to stop the president from taking the loan.
On Tuesday, President Tinubu requested the National Assembly to approve new borrowing plans totaling $21.5 billion, along with €2.19 billion, 15 billion Japanese yen and a €65 million grant, as part of the federal government’s 2025–2026 borrowing framework.
Reacting to the development, Atiku said the announcement by the Tinubu-led APC administration to pursue fresh external and domestic loans “is a reckless and dangerous move that threatens the future of Nigeria and generations yet unborn.”
The leader of the coalition stressed that despite national outrage, “this administration is pushing ahead with plans to borrow $21.54 billion, €2.19 billion, and ¥15 billion — an equivalent of over $24 billion, which is more than 60 per cent of Nigeria’s total foreign exchange reserves. This borrowing spree will raise our total public debt from N144.7 trillion to a crushing N183 trillion.”
“This move comes while Nigeria’s debt burden is already at alarming levels. As at December 31, 2024, public debt stood at $94 billion (N144.7 trillion). Since President Tinubu assumed office in 2023, public debt has jumped by 65.6 per cent,” he added.
Atiku told the president that under the APC-led administration since 2015, public debt has ballooned by 1,048 per cent, from N12.6 trillion to N144.7 trillion, and the debt-to-GDP ratio has exceeded 50 per cent.
According to him, the debt-service-to-revenue ratio is over 130 per cent, meaning that the government now spends more on repaying loans than it earns.
“This is not just unsustainable, it is immoral. The Tinubu administration is borrowing money, not for development but to service existing loans, fueling a debt spiral that leaves nothing for infrastructure, education, health care or jobs.
“This addiction to borrowing, entrenched under the APC-led administration and now accelerated by President Tinubu, has turned public finance into a Ponzi scheme – borrowing to pay debt, then borrowing again to pay interest. Nigeria is now caught in a vicious cycle that mortgages the future to pay for the past.
“We warn that this is economic sabotage in plain sight. We demand that this reckless borrowing plan be halted immediately. We call on lawmakers, civil society organisations, the media and the international community to take urgent action to stop this looming catastrophe.”
PDP in intensive care unit, says Suswam
A former Benue State governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in an intensive care unit.
Suswam said this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday. He accused the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed and the national chairman of the party, Umar Damagum of engineering the party’s failure.
He said Mohammed and Damagun’s decision to renege on their agreement with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Nyesom Wike, threw the party into crisis.
Suswam added that he was not worried that Wike said he would fight to the finish.
He said, “The acting chairman of the party has failed us; let’s call a spade a spade. I would have done far better because I wouldn’t engage in an agreement with the minister of the FCT and renege on it.
“The party is in an intensive care unit. People have survived from the ICU, so I believe the PDP can survive if the right thing is done, which I doubt. Most people no longer have confidence in the leadership of the party.”
However, Suswam attacked the Tinubu-led administration, saying the government was insensitive to Nigerians’ pain.
He said there was apathy in Nigeria because of the hardship the citizens were going through.
