By Daniel Tyokua
The chairman Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Maikalangu, said it does not depend on monthly federal government allocations to carry out its activities.
He stated this during a press briefing to mark his administration’s one year in office, on Wednesday.
Maikalangu explained that if his administration had depended on federal government monthly allocations, the council would not have been able to pay salaries of workers and run other activities.
The chairman said that at the beginning of his administration, the council discovered a lot of anomalies by some consultants hired by his predecessor, which he had reviewed the revenue operations of the council to avoid leakages.
Represented by the supervising councillor for special duties, Hon Emmanuel Inyang, the AMAC chairman revealed that his administration also discovered that there was high incidences of fake and free-for-all scramble, extortion and stealing of councils legitimate revenues by fake individuals and criminals.
He disclosed that another creative revenue policy of his administration was the inauguration and introduction of the AMAC Taskforce on Revenue Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to fish out thieves, rats and uncompromising clients.
Maikalangu noted that to a large extent, the existence of the taskforce has upped the payment compliance level, diligence and discipline by both taxpaying citizens and the public.
He disclosed that on assumption of office, he inherited a debt profile of about N2.5 billion and an empty treasury, which, according to him, impeded his vision to kick-start new projects, adding, however, that he has been able to pay about 60 percent of the inherited debt.
He continued: “Given our seemingly ambitious programmes and agenda, there is no doubt that we had to employ new ways and strategies of raising the revenue profile of the Council.
The council under my watch, introduced the CASHLESS REVENUE PAYMENT POLICY that guarantees direct payment into Council designated accounts and the reduction or, outright extermination of corrupt and impostors in the revenue administration and collection in AMAC.
Apart from persons who we have recommended for employment elsewhere, it is the desire of this Council to generate employment to hundreds and thousands of unemployed youths in Abuja Municipal Area Council.
One of the blueprints leading to achieving that aim is the establishment of the AMAC Broadcasting Service Limited, the first commercial radio and television broadcast corporation to be established by a local Council in the history of Nigeria.
So far, it has been duly registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission while the FM radio operational license is at the last stage of collection at the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC.”
