The Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, Christopher Maikalangu, has said the Council will empower women, senior citizens and students through the provision of skills acquisition, training, mentoring.
Maikalangu said the move will enable its administration to eradicate poverty and enable the vulnerable groups to become self-reliant.
The AMAC Boss who said this during a press briefing to mark his one year in office, also said the Council has cleared 60 percent of the debts his predecessor owed contractors in the last one year.
Maikalangu, who was represented by the Supervisory Councillor for Special Duties, Mr Emmanuel Inyang, There is a program for empowerment of women, so that they can start business, there is also empowerment for the elderly for those of them who cannot take proper care of themselves.
That has been approved by the chairman and they will be selected for all the AMAC wards. We are also going to empower students in terms of scholarship and that will commence very soon.
Speaking also on the debt said empty treasury and inheriting a debt profile of about N2.5 billion upon assumption of office. He said
that the accumulated debts made some of councils’ contractors to abandon ongoing projects and impeded his administrations’ vision to kick-start new projects.
He added that though faced with various hurdles, ranging from different court cases, his administration had been able to achieve remarkable milestone in developmental projects.
“We have been able to provide potable drinking water by constructing solar community borehole in various communities, such as Dagma village, Anguwan Gade in Jikwoyi, Karu ward, Anguwan Gbagyi in Karshi ward and at Area C, Nyanya.
“We have provided rural electrification by supplying and installing transformers at Toge Community, Tatajiya and Hulumi communities.
“On construction of rural roads, aside from grading and rehabilitating several feeder roads, we have constructed and laid asphalt on Wumba Township road, Iddo-Sarki access road, Mondic road, Gwagwa road among other communities,” he said.
On educational development, Maikalangu said his administration had inaugurated a scholarship committee to review application from all indigents students from the twelve wards of the council.
“By the third week of June, about 200 applicants of various categories are expected to receive their scholarship awards,” he added.
The chairman added that to put a stop to high incidences of fake and illegitimate revenue collectors, his administration introduced the cashless revenue payment policy.
“This policy guarantees direct payment into council designated accounts and the reduction of corruption and imposters in the revenue administration and collection in AMAC.
“Another creative revenue policy was the inauguation and introduction of AMAC taskforce on revenue monitoring, inspection and enforcement to fish out thieves and upped the payment compliance level,” he said.
The chairman however, called on the residents of the area council to be patient with his administration, as he was committed to delivering more dividends of democracy to the people.
“I wish to reassure that the partnership resulting from your show of love for me shall be sustained and reciprocated by way of qualitative, selfless and result-oriented service, programmes and projects,” he added.
