AMAC, AEPB At War
· Area council faults sealing of works ministry, others
By Sarah NEGEDU
There’s no end in sight to the ongoing tussle between the FCT Administration and the Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, over which is constitutionally empowered to collect waste management revenue in the Federal Capital City.
This is as the area council advised residents to ignore the recent announcement by the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, threatening to seal up government offices and others business premises that fail to clear all outstanding utility bills for waste collection.
Recall that the FCTA had, last week, sealed the Federal Ministry of Works, Federal Character Commission, Merit House and Murg plaza over a N10 billion waste management debt owed to Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB.
Director of the board, Engr. Osilama Briamah, told journalists during the seal off exercise that the board provided waste management and other environmental services for their service providers but they refused to pay.
He explained that the board had huge amounts without response from the defaulters.
“We try to negotiate to have a better way to achieve results but there was no positive response. We had given them payment plan but many of them refused to take this opportunity serious, the board then resort to legal means to recover the debts.”
Briamah promised that the exercise which has just begun will cover all public and private offices owing the board.
A breakdown of the debts according to the AEPB suggest that the Federal ministry of Education owed N25,838,275.00, the Federal Ministry of Defence owes N17,220,775.00 while the Federal Character Commission is said to be indebted to the tune of N10,128,906.25.
Others government agencies indebted to the board include the Civil Service Commission with a debt of N451,649.50, Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission N21,683,750.00.
Federal Ministry of Health N14,204,843.75, Fed Ministry of Trade & Investment owes N19,222,287.50, Federal Ministry of Works N9,998,625.00, while the Nigeria Security and civil Defence Corps Wuse is said to have an outstanding debt of N16,583,031.25.
However, the Abuja Municipal Area Council in a statement said the move by the FCTA through AEPB was contravening a court ruling which ruled that the area council has the sole mandate of collecting waste management revenue.
AMAC in a paid publication insisted that it is saddled with the constitutional power and Authority to collect rates and charges for waste disposal within the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
Part of the publication reads, “The attention of Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, has been drawn to the misleading publication by the Director of Abuja announced on Monday the 18 of April, 2022, the commencement of the FCTA to seal up Hotels, Government offices, Plazas, and others business premises that have not cleared outstanding utility bills for waste collections. Based on the directive of the permanent secretary of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Olusade Adesola.
“It has become imperative that the Abuja Municipal Area Council make clarifications on some salient issue on who is saddled with the constitutional power and Authority to collect rates and charges for waste disposal within the Abuja Municipal Area Council between ABUJA ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION BOARD, AEPB, and ABUJA MUNICIPAL AREA COUNCIL, AMAC, which has been major concern to the residents of FCT, especially those within AMAC, this is as a result of the constant harassment frustration and double taxation imposed and enforced on residents, the issues has been reported to stifle businesses.”
The council clarified that the long existing conflict on the issue of waste disposal and levies collection between both agencies has been laid to rest in the recent ruling by the Federal High Court.
Making reference to the judgment delivered by His Lordship Bello Kawu, on the 11 of February, 2022, AMAC with Suit No: FCT/HC/CV/593/2019, said that “by virtue of section 7(1) & 5 and paragraph 1 (h) of the fourth schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) the disposal of refuse and the receipt of payment for same is vested upon the Abuja Municipal Area Council.”
The outgoing chairman of AMAC, Abdullahi Candido, had in September 2019 conceded the responsibility of providing waste management services as well as collection of waste service charge in the nation’s capital to the AEPB.
“Henceforth, all payments for waste management services in the FCC are to be made solely to AEPB.
“Subsequently, all pending litigations between AEPB and AMAC and service users regarding issues on waste management within FCC are hereby withdrawn,” he said at that time.
