By Sarah NEGEDU
The Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, and the Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage, DOAS, have dismissed a petition accusing them of fraud and forgery, saying the allegations were driven by overzealous third-party agents.
A petition which circulated last Thursday by a group calling itself the Concerned Citizens of AMAC, CCA, urged the Inspector-General of Police and the DSS to investigate an “unauthorised Memorandum of Understanding” between AMAC and DOAS.
The petition also demanded the arrest and prosecution of officials named in the complaint.
But a joint meeting held at DOAS headquarters the same day revealed a united front between the two agencies, directly countering the petition’s claims.
Addressing the meeting, Director of DOAS, Dr. Fatima Helen Amanabo, said the confusion arose from “certain technical partners” contracted to collect revenue.
“It is important to state that the recent Memorandum of Understanding should leave no room for discord. The misunderstandings we have witnessed are directly attributable to the conduct of certain technical partners,” she said, citing an incident where an agent demanded payment from a bank outside their jurisdiction.
Also, the Head of Department Administration at AMAC, Hajara Abdullahi, warned that any agent found sowing discord would face firm action. She noted that contracts with technical partners are performance-based and subject to review.
The meeting also highlighted the agencies’ longstanding cooperation under a valid First Party Signage Revenue framework, aimed at streamlining revenue collection and avoiding overlapping charges.
DOAS Head of Accounts, Sunday Azaki, proposed jointly informing the ICPC that the issues prompting their interest had been resolved through inter-agency dialogue, a suggestion that was widely welcomed.
Observers say the timing of the CCA petition appears suspicious. While the petitioners accused Dr. Amanabo and Mr. Azaki of drafting an “unauthorised” MoU to bypass the Treasury Single Account (TSA), the meeting minutes confirm that both are operating within a recognised framework to streamline revenue.
