· FCTA bullying us, AMAC chair alleges
· They ‘seized’ our N700m
By Sarah NEGEDU
The continued operations of area council administration in the FCT is at risk if nothing is done to check the unwarranted withholding of councils finances, the leadership of Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, has warned.
Chairman of the council, Abdullahi Candido, raised the alarm when he received the management of the FCT Area Council Services Secretariat during a familiarisation tour to AMAC.
Candido, who alleged that over N700 million tax revenue due to AMAC was currently being withheld by the FCT Administration, expressed fear that the area councils may run out of business if funds due them are continuously withheld by the FCT administration.
There have been conflicting claims between the FCTA and AMAC over the body empowered by law to collect certain taxes in the territory, especially tenement rate in the city center.
The municipal area chairman has continued to insist that the entire city center, including the very space where FCTA offices are located, fall within the AMAC’s jurisdiction.
Blaming the tussle on vested interests bent on undermining the provisions of the law in order to frustrate his commitment to deliver dividends of democracy, he vowed not to stand aside while development eludes his people.
He also urged the chairman after him, to sit up so as not to be denied the council’s rights.
In his words, “About N700 million meant for AMAC is lying with the FCTA. Why keep it for AMAC? The money should be given to us for service.
“Give the money to us and ensure supervision. Should there be any council or chairman that misappropriate the funds, there are laws that should catch up with the person.
“But if you refuse to give them, questioning how the volume of the funds will be spent and asking what they will do with the money, I think that is an aberration. When you refuse to speak truth to authority, things will remain unresolved. With the way the FCTA relates with the area councils, if there is no change, I pity the administration of area councils coming behind. Very soon some area councils will fold up and go out of business. Things are rough here.
“In AMAC we have salaries close to N200 million. When we get the Joint Area Councils Allocation from FCTA, after one week the money is gone. Constitutionally the council is charged with the collection of Internally Generated Revenue, but the FCTA is also interested in certain things that the area councils are supposed to do. So with this, there is conflict.
“When we as area council serve notices to peoples on what is expected of them, FCTA also will serve them the same notice, then we end up in court.”
Responding, the Mandate Secretary, FCT Area Council Services Secretariat, Hon. Ibrahim Dantsoho, promised to investigate the matter of funds raised by the chairman and assured that whatever is due to the council will be released.
He said the government was not unmindful of the prevailing security challenges in the country, adding that all hands must be on deck to ensure that there is peace before, during and after the February 2022 area councils election.
