By Sarah NEGEDU
A radical and aggressive revenue drive is required if the Federal Capital Territory must meet its objectives of building a world class capital city.
This was the submission of the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, at the just concluded workshop for revenue officers organised by the Economic Planning, Revenue Generation, and Public-private Partnership Secretariat of the FCTA.
Internally generated revenue in the FCT is around N69.1 billion annually, making it the second highest subnational IGR earner away from Lagos state with a figure of N267.2 billion.
However, the minister in his goodwill message at the closing ceremony of the workshop, said the FCTA must think up strategies to push its revenue drive.
Bello, while commending the secretariat for the initiative of the training workshop, said, “The importance of improving our internally generated revenue cannot be overstated if we are to fulfill our mandate and meet our objectives of building our country, into a world-class capital city.
“Although we currently rank second (only to Lagos State) in internally generated revenue amongst our nation’s sub nationals, it is no secret that what we generate, (no matter how seemingly impressive) is a far cry from what we require to fulfill our mandate.”
He, however, noted that with the right strategies, the FCT has the potential to be the highest internal revenue-generating subnational in Nigeria.
“That is why your capacity as revenue generating officers in the employ of the FCTA must be improved to enable you to meet up with your responsibilities.
“It is, however, essential that you fully understand and appreciate the import of your responsibilities to the FCT Administration and by extension, the FCT as a whole and that is why workshops such as this are highly welcome.”
Earlier at the opening ceremony of the workshop, the Mandate Secretary of Economic Planning, Revenue Generation, and PPP, Lukman Dabiri Agboola, said the FCTA will compete with Lagos on revenue base which is the highest revenue-generating state in Nigeria.
While urging the revenue officers to brace up for the responsibilities ahead, the Secretary said the exercise of revenue diversification is a new beginning for the FCT Administration.
He said that the era of dependence on oil or budget is over, vowing to activate the principles of revenue diversification in such a way that could put the FCT ahead of other states in IGR.
“Presently all over the world, the dependence on oil and budget is coming to an end. The only way out for us is to build on our revenue base, budget is about procrastination because it is the money you do not have at hand. But revenue is the sure money we can always plan for,” he said.
He further explained that the revenue staff is the future of the FCTA, the lifeline and nucleus body of the FCTA and therefore, “We need to go out aggressively to get the revenue for the FCTA for everybody to be comfortable.
Authorities decry criminal invasion of undeveloped plots in Abuja
The continuous failure of allottees to develop their plots in city centre is costing government a lot to clean up and secure such areas, which are constantly being inhabited by destitute and criminal elements.
According to the FCT Administration, some of such plots have remained undeveloped since they were allocated over two to three decades ago, providing cover for drug peddlers and other criminal.
The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah, while supervising a cleanup exercise on undeveloped plots in the Central Business District and Wuse Zone 3, said the administration is mulling plans to revoke undeveloped plots.
Attah noted that the criminal activities in the areas are thriving, because the owners of the undeveloped plots of land have left it fallow for over two decades.
He disclosed that the minister having made passionate appeals to the owners of land to come and develop it, may have no other option than to revoke it.
“What we are seeing here today is very bad for the city. We have cleared these places around September 2021, but the place has been rebuilt because owners of the undeveloped plots have left it fallow for about two to three decades now.
“FCT minister has called upon them to come and develop these lands, but they have not come. The FCTA may have no other option than to think of revoking the plots.”
Earlier, a melodrama occurred during the exercise when suspected drug peddlers and other criminal elements abandoned their wives and children when the FCT Task Force on City Sanitation invaded their hideouts within undeveloped plots of land in the CBD.
While many of the suspects escaped, 20 of the them were arrested and handed over to Wuse Divisional Police.
The invaded areas, both in Central Business District and Wuse Zone 3 are said to have remained dangerous black spots, from where criminals hide.
Attah, who led the operation alongside heads of the military, police and paramilitary components of the task force, vowed that while the criminals continue to defy laws and orders, the taskforce will remain firm in its enforcement.
Also speaking, deputy director, Enforcement, Abuja Environmental Protection Board, Kaka Bello, lamented that government has been spending a lot of money mobilising human resources for the clean-up of the undeveloped plots.
He noted that the administration may invoke relevant provisions of environmental laws, and compel owners of the plots of land to pay the cost of the continuous cleaning.
