By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has inaugurated a committee to recover N 29 billion ground rents debt owed the administration by property owners in Abuja.
Inaugurating the 9-man Committee on Thursday, the permanent secretary Mr. Adesola Olusade said since the inception of the present Administration, improvement in revenue generation has been an issue of utmost importance.
He explained that the coordinating Committee on the Recovery of Outstanding Ground Rents of N29, 506,643,943.98 would help to improve revenue generation accruing into the coffers of the FCT Administration.
Olusade reiterated that funding is key in the running of government, provision of infrastructure as well as delivery of quality services to the residents of the territory.
In a statement issued by the Director FCT Information and Communication Department, Muhammad Sule,
explained that funding of FCTA activities is being hampered due to paucity of funds, which is necessary for the running of a modern capital city such as Abuja.
The statement said: “The decision to embark on recovery of Ground Rents has therefore, become a matter of necessity. We are serious about this. All those owing should come forward to settle their debts”.
According to him, the Permanent Secretary had earlier migrated all revenue collections to Treasury Single Account (TSA) via REMITA Platform, to boost revenue generation in compliance with the Federal Government directive.
“despite all these efforts, the rate of revenue generation has not met the realities on ground, hence the need to exploit other frontiers”.
The committee is headed by the FCT General Counsel / Secretary of Legal Services Secretariat, Muhammed B. Umar.
