No going back on harmonised revenue collection in FCT – Adesola declares

By Stanley Onyekwere

The Permanent Secretary of FCT Administration, Mr. Olusade Adesola has declared there is no going back in the resolved by the FCT Administration to streamline and enhance revenue collection in the Territory.
Adesola, who made the declaration at the meeting with Area Council Chairmen on delegating duties and responsibilities to FCT-IRS, yesterday, in Jabi-Abuja, further expressed confidence that the move would bring the much-needed sanity to revenue collection processes in the Territory, according to a statement signed by Press Secretary to FCT Permanent Secretary, Tony Odey.
While justifying the reason for getting to this stage of officially delegating duties and responsibilities to FCT-IRS to collect revenue on behalf of the six Area Councils of FCT and Secretariats, Departments and Agencies(SDAs) of FCTA, Adesola revealed that the decision was taken after several months of extensive deliberations, meticulous analyses.
He added that there was a steadfast commitment to enhancing efficiency, transparency and effectiveness in the revenue collection system for the growth and benefit of residents of the Territory .
He further disclosed that in order to ensure successful execution of assigned duties and responsibilities, stakeholders had collectively agreed to adopt Project Management Approach. Giving more insights into the new Model, he explained that it will allow for a well-structured and systematic process for delegation of revenue collection duties.
Similarly, the Permanent Secretary hinted that at the helm of leadership for the new process will be the Project Steering Committee, which will be Chaired by the Permanent Secretary, FCTA.
He mentioned other members of the Committee to include: Chairmen of Area Councils, Chairman of FCT-IRS, Secretary EPRGPP, Director of FCT Treasury and General Council, Legal Services Secretariat, FCTA. He added that the Committee policy decisions would be implemented by Project Implementation Committee, which will be Chaired by the Chairman of FCT-IRS.
In his welcome address, the Acting Chairman of FCT-IRS, Mr. Haruna Abdullahi believed that delegating revenue collection duties to the FCT-IRS is a strategic move that will ultimately translate into numerous benefits to FCT Administration and residents of the Territory.