· Brothels, malls, gardens go to AMAC
· Banks, hospitals, schools fall to DOAS
Abuja has adopted a new revenue map that formally splits outdoor advertisement revenue collection duties between the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, so as to end years of overlapping enforcement.
The agreement, signed on Friday through a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, between the Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage, DOAS, and AMAC, clearly outlines business categories each party is allowed to collect advertisement revenue from.
The MoU is designed to eliminate a long-running revenue feud that repeatedly pitched officials on both sides against each other on the streets, often leaving business owners confused and exposed to double taxation.
This development is coming after several failed attempts at harmonising revenue administration in the FCT, including a citywide concession policy midwifed by a former permanent secretary of the FCTA, Olusade Adesola, in 2021, which authorised the FCTA to collect outdoor advertisement revenues on behalf of the six area councils and remit an agreed percentage to them.
Recall that in 2021, Adesola resumed structured engagement with the six area councils and FCTA revenue agencies to harmonise tax and non‑tax collections across the territory, including outdoor advert levies.
The initiative was the outcome of series of retreats and stakeholder consultations aimed at ending multiple taxation and ‘gangster’‑style revenue practices.
It sought to unify revenue collection under the FCT Internal Revenue Service, FCT-IRS, while retaining clear remittance formulas to the councils.
Despite that pact, rival agents from AMAC and DOAS continued to clash in the field, issuing conflicting demands and operating without clear boundaries.
However, under the latest arrangement, the business landscape within AMAC has now been divided into distinct operational territories, giving each party specific sectors to control.
Henceforth, DOAS is now to collect outdoor advertisement and signage revenue from banks and other financial houses, schools, hospitals and clinics, furniture and automobile companies, and major construction firms across the council area.
On the other hand, AMAC will focus on brothels, filling stations, gardens, event centres, plazas and shopping malls, workshops, eateries and restaurants, fashion houses, clubs, pubs, and various lock-up shops and small business premises not assigned to DOAS.
Officials familiar with the document said the clarity was long overdue describing it as a victory for order and inter-agency cooperation.
A senior FCTA official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “For too long, business owners have been caught in the middle, facing double taxation and confusion. This clarity will improve the ease of doing business and boost overall revenue collection efficiency.
“We are relieved to see a clear framework. Our members have suffered from the tussle between these two government bodies. We urge strict adherence to this agreement to foster a predictable business environment.”
To enforce the agreement and prevent a return to rivalry, both parties have set up a six-member technical committee comprising three representatives each. An AMAC official will chair the committee while DOAS will provide the secretary.
The committee is mandated to review the MoU periodically, monitor collection activities and ensure strict adherence to the agreed boundaries.
Any dispute arising from the exercise must first be resolved through dialogue or an Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism before any other steps are taken.
The MoU is valid for an initial term of one year and may be renewed or cancelled by mutual consent. It also carries a judicial endorsement from the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
If strictly implemented, the deal is expected to protect businesses from harassment, strengthen record-keeping and reduce the leakage that once characterised outdoor signage revenues in the city.
