Crisis Looms As AMAC Clashes With FCDA Over Revenue Collection

There may be an impending crisis in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has warned the FCT Department of Outdoor Advertisements and Signages (DOAS) to stop collecting outdoor, signpost and mobile taxes in its council or risk desperate consequences.

The senior special assistant on community development to the AMAC chairman, Yunusa Yusuf, who briefed journalists yesterday on the impending crisis between the two FCT outfits, also warned that anybody caught collecting such taxes without the council’s approval would be dealt with.

He warned that any taxpayer who pays to DOAS or any other impostors does so at his or her own risk, reminding the public that various court rulings have reechoed that AMAC has the sole power to collect such taxes and other revenues.

Yusuf said the council chairman, Christopher Maikalangu, has severally warned that the council would not relinquish or delegate such powers to any agency or company, saying there are capable hands that can collect the taxes for the council

“If we caught anybody demanding money for a mobile advert from any resident of AMAC, we might not have the patience to even take him before the appropriate authorities, because there is fraud in this case and it must be treated as fraud immediately.

“Anybody who gives DOAS money for mobile adverts will pay two times. Because this is criminal. It is criminal for everybody to represent AMAC without AMAC engaging the person. We have not engaged or relinquished our powers to anybody to assist us to collect revenue.

“We repeat, we are capable, we have the technical know-how, we have the manpower and we are ready to work for the people who have voted for us. I want to say that Maikalangu remains grateful for all the support us and the residents of AMAC and we are ready to do whatever it will take to give them the dividends of democracy,” he said.

The SSA further assured that the council would continue to be guided by the by-laws from which it derived its authority.

DOAS recently said there has been increased understanding with area councils in the FCT to collect such taxes on their behalf.