By Stanley Onyekwere
Some powerful cabals have been working underground to frustrate reinvigorated efforts to boost the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) profile of the FCT, thereby undermine its development, according to the Director, FCT Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS), Babagana Adam.
Adam, who revealed this while briefing journalists, also alleged that the cabal have been sending him and members of his management staff threat letters that would force them to look the other way while they continue to pocket revenues meant for the development of the city.
The DOAS boss while highlighting the setbacks the FCT administration has endured due to its inability to maximally generate and channel all revenues to government coffers as a result of the illegal activities of the said cabals, however, vowed to fight them till the end, to ensure the right things are done.
He however, named the now defunct, Abuja Municipal Trade and Investment Company and one other construction firm, said to be among the first three to start operating in the capital city, of being among the notable culprits in this grand conspiracy to siphon the the FCT’s IGR into private accounts.
“Some people have turned revenue collection into their inheritance and dynasty. There are cabals that are frustrating DOAS efforts to generate more revenue for the administration. They are handing over the right of generating revenue to their families and cronies. I received a letter yesterday from the wife of a late cabal that has been feasting on the sweats of Abuja residents collecting illegal adverts.
“There’s a construction company that is one of the first three in Abuja that has been fraternitising with this family. While that company pays nothing less than N40 million on mobile Advertisement, this money has never been remitted in total for Abuja Municipal Area Council for the past three years and I have been running a battle at the risk of my life and the lives of some of my colleagues that were attacked and some of you journalists.
“That contractor was given a target of N30 million and I discovered in 2019 or in 2020, the person only reluctantly remitted N11 million naira out of the N30 million. Where is the balance for the year of N19 million.
“Secondly, there is a company I fought from head to toe, may be that is why some of them gave up and left. Some of you will remember the Abuja Municipal Trade and Investment, that company is a dynasty and a clug of progress on AMAC and the FCT. It has metamorphosed in its chameleonic way into other companies that is even sending threat letters. The wife has sent me letter threatening me as the director of DOAS.
“ I like pledging, till I leave DOAS or out of government responsibilities, I and my colleagues, if my colleagues like, I will fight them to the last drop of my blood to see that the right things are done and the right money goes into government coffers, then I will surrender”, he stressed.
The Director however, revealed that despite the challenges encountered in the outgoing year, the Department surpassed its revenue generation projection for this year.
