By Daniel Tyokua
The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has attributed the delay in commencement of its single account policy to technical challenges.
Chairman of the council, Mr. Christopher Maikalangu had during a press briefing in December, 2025 announced that from January 1st, 2026 all its revenue must be paid through a unified digital platform to curb leakages .
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the chairman’s media aide, Kinsley Madaki, said the deadline has been shifted to enable the necessary upgrades.required for a seamless transition.
It explained that the system will help to curb revenue leakages and eliminate manual cash handling.
The statement explained that the officials said the “technical glitches” involve the synchronization of the AMAC Smart Tax portal with various commercial bank interfaces and the central treasury.
It said the extension is a proactive measure to protect taxpayers from potential system errors or double-billing during the integration phase.
The area council, however said the interim Guidelines for 2026 Revenue is to
prevent a vacuum in revenue administration, the Council has provided the following directives:
The statement reads, “Business owners are advised that currently active official payment channels remain valid until the new system is fully certified.
”Taxpayers are urged to verify any demand notice received. Only notices featuring the verified AMAC digital headers for 2026 should be honoured.
”A new specific “Go-Live” date for the mandatory Single Account usage will be announced once the technical audit is completed”.
The Council reiterated its stance on unauthorized revenue collectors, saying “The delay is technical, not administrative,”
“Our ban on cash payments to individuals remains in force. This extension is simply to ensure that when the portal opens fully, every kobo is instantly accounted for without error.”
AMAC warned residents to be wary of individuals posing as “technical consultants” attempting to capitalize on this extension to solicit private payments.
”The Single Account Policy is a cornerstone of the 2026 budget, which allocates 80% of capital expenditure to rural infrastructure.
The automation is expected to significantly increase the Council’s internal generated revenue (IGR) by blocking loopholes that have historically diverted public funds into private pockets.
