By Stanley Onyekwere
The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has triggered widespread outcry among traders after its revenue agents slammed provision shop owners in local markets with an additional, controversial tax levy.
Members of the affected market traders’ union have strongly questioned the rationale behind the new demand.
They argue that while the tax itself is not new, it has historically been reserved exclusively for restaurants, fast-food outlets, and other eateries—not retail provision stores.
The undated tax notice, which was widely circulated across AMAC-owned markets—including the popular Karu Market—was issued from the desk of the Director, Environmental Health Department.
The notice reads in part: “Pursuant to the provisions of Section 7 and the Fourth Schedule to the Constitution of The Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (1)(K) IV (as amended), relevant Sections of the National Environmental Health Practice Regulations, and The Abuja Municipal Area Council Bye-Law, you are hereby notified to pay and obtain/renew the Food/Water Handling Permit/Registration and Premises Inspection of your establishment for the year 2026, alongside any outstanding arrears.”
Consequently, shop owners have been handed a strict 14-day ultimatum to clear the newly imposed fees or face severe legal consequences.
According to the directive, traders must present their proof of payment at the AMAC Annex office to receive official receipts and compliance certificates.
The council warned that failure to do so “will be treated as non-compliance and will attract full penalties under the National Environmental Health Practice Regulations.”
The financial burden on small businesses is already evident. A copy of a demand notice sighted by our reporter showed that Madam Chilo Provision Shop, located in Karu Market, was billed N70,000, payable within two weeks.
Reacting to the development, an official of the Karu Market Traders Association, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, decried what they described as an unfair extension of the levy.
“We are aware of this tax; it has been there, and those responsible (eateries) have been complying.
“Why are they now extending it to provision shop owners?”
“Traders operating in provision shops already pay several other taxes to the Area Council, including sanitation and fumigation levies—services which AMAC has not even performed for a single day,” the official stated.
The official further pointed out revenue leakages within the market, urging the Council Chairman, Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, to intervene.
“Look at the people selling in the car park without shops and those on the road; they pay daily, and we are not even sure if all that revenue reaches the AMAC Revenue office.
“We just comply and pay. Why then add another tax meant for restaurants onto provision shops?
“We want Maikalangu to help us. We will pay our legitimate taxes, but let his boys not misapply restaurant taxes to provision shops. It is not fair,” the official pleaded.
When contacted for an official reaction, the AMAC spokesperson, Kingsley Madaki, said the actions of the council are constitutional and for the public benefit.
According to him, what the council is doing has been provided for in the First Schedule of the Nigerian Constitution.
“So, it is not a cause for alarm.They can come to AMAC as union to seek for a little waiver, but the Constitution grants area Councils exclusive functions including provision and maintenance of health services, control and regulation of shops, kiosks, restaurants, bakeries and other food outlets, regulation of slaughterhouses and markets, as well as assessment of privately owned houses and tenements,” he stated.
