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Abuja council battles corruption in tax, revenue collection
The Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, says it is battling against unscrupulous individuals hiding under its cover to extort money from businesses and residents under the guise of tax collection.
The Chief Revenue Officer of AMAC, Hon. Danlami Awaje disclosed this while responding to allegations first published by the International Center for investigative Reporting, ICIR, that the activities of some of the council officials are having negative impacts on businesses in Abuja.
He was speaking on PUBLIC CONSCIENCE on RADIO, the anti-corruption radio program produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, on Wednesday in Abuja.
Awaje, who alluded that the tales of taxation fraud in AMAC has been a recurring issue, however, revealed that AMAC has set up task force team moving round to fish out individuals who pose as AMAC officials to defraud the unsuspecting Abuja business owners and residents through taxes and levies.
His words: “AMAC has set up a taskforce that is moving around, checking and looking out for individuals who are not AMAC staff but are extorting and collecting revenue from business owners and residents.
“Following outcry from the public, the council also disbanded a group setup to bring sanity on the roads but were now harassing and extorting money from car owners on the road.”
Awaje warned that AMAC does not give out personal bank account numbers when collecting taxes but uses government approved platform ‘REMITA’ in order to promote accountability.
He stressed that: “AMAC’s revenue officers who go out to collect revenues undergo training and retraining from time to time, we have REMITA platform where we ask all our taxpayers to pay into, generate RRR, pay through REMITA, come with the evidence of payment and obtain official receipt from our office.”
He revealed that AMAC is mandated by the constitution to collect no fewer than 21 different taxes from business owners in Abuja annually, while urging tax payers in Abuja to be conscious of who approaches them to collect taxes.
On her part, an Abuja-based food vendor identified as Chef Nneka whose business has been affected by the arbitrary taxes decried the lack of impact in the form of infrastructure despite the numerous taxes collected by the AMAC administration.
“I pay my own taxes in January because if you don’t pay they will keep harassing you until you pay, but they (AMAC) are not doing anything for us.
“In a year, I pay for bikes, health, environment, business premises, outdoor signage, radio and television licenses and it goes on and on. And just yesterday I was served another paper to pay three hundred thousand naira for gas emission,” She lamented.
Earlier, senior lecturer of Law, Base University, Dr. Sam Amadi explained that people living in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) risk paying multiple taxes because most of the taxes that apply for federal workers also apply for people working under FCT.
Dr. Sam Amadi cautioned that FCT is going to have problems dealing with navigating between federal taxation and that of the councils.
“Now think in terms of Julius Berger you will be shocked that maybe it might not be paying anything to the area council but might be paying directly to the federal government and because there is no capacity to compel them the council will leave them and go to the small or micro enterprises and overtax them”, He said
Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program used by PRIMORG to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to maintain the status quo in a dispute over the party’s candidates emerging from the Benue State APC primaries for the 2027 general election.
The order was made on Thursday by Justice Inyang Ekwo during proceedings in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1429/2026, filed by Engr. Sesugh Akaagba and other aggrieved APC candidates from Benue State against the APC and INEC.
The plaintiffs had, through an ex parte motion filed on July 5, 2026, sought six interim reliefs, including an order restraining the APC from substituting its validly nominated candidates in Benue State through its June 29, 2026 correspondence, or any subsequent communication, to INEC, pending determination of the substantive suit.
They also sought an order compelling the APC to immediately transmit to INEC the names of candidates validly nominated during the primaries monitored by the electoral commission.
When the matter first came up on July 8, 2026, the court declined to grant the interim application immediately, directing both APC and INEC to appear and respond before any decision was taken. The matter was adjourned to July 16.
At Thursday’s proceedings, counsel representing the APC and INEC were present in court, while the plaintiffs were represented by Mohammed Ndarani, SAN, alongside his legal team.
In his ruling, Justice Ekwo held that since issues had been joined by the parties particularly with INEC now before the court, the defendants were required by law to preserve the subject matter of the litigation pending determination of the substantive suit.
When counsel to the plaintiffs urged the court to caution APC and INEC against taking any further action that could affect the disputed list of candidates, the judge responded that it was “not a matter of advice but of law,” stressing that the defendants were bound to maintain the status quo.
The court consequently restrained APC and INEC from taking any action capable of altering the disputed list of candidates pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
The defendants did not object to the restraining order.
At the commencement of proceedings, the court noted that all parties had voluntarily submitted to its jurisdiction by duly filing and exchanging their respective processes.
It held that there was no procedural or jurisdictional impediment to the expeditious determination of the substantive action, and directed that the matter be heard without further delay.
In furtherance of the objective of preserving the res and safeguarding the efficacy of the judicial process, the court ordered all parties to maintain the status quo pending the hearing and final determination of the substantive suit, restraining any act or omission capable of prejudicing the rights of the parties or rendering the proceedings nugatory.
The court further directed that INEC be served forthwith with the originating and all consequential processes.
The effect of the subsisting order is that INEC is restrained from tampering with the existing list of candidates pending final determination of the suit, and from receiving, recognising, or acting upon any purported substituted list of National Assembly candidates from Benue State submitted by the APC.
The matter was adjourned to July 21, 2026, for hearing of the substantive suit.
Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and former First Lady Patience Ibifaka Jonathan recently celebrated a significant family milestone as they attended the graduation ceremony of their son, Ariara Goodluck Jonathan, at Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom.
The proud parents joined family members and well-wishers to witness Ariara receive his degree, marking the successful completion of his academic programme. The occasion was filled with joy as the Jonathan family commemorated the achievement, highlighting the importance they place on education and personal development.
The graduation ceremony attracted warm congratulatory messages from friends, associates, and admirers, who wished the graduate continued success in his future endeavours.
The Following names joined the political family of Sen. Dr. George Akume today after leaving the sinking Alia ship .
Under the leadership of Barr. Emmanuel Jime .
The are ;
Chief Nelson Alapa
Douglas pepe SAN senatorial Aspirant zone A,
Engr Peter Ashiekaa
QS Clement Beetseh
Former commissioners
Joy Luga
Ann itodo
Barr martins Shaagee
Miss Dorcas
Prof Usar Joseh
Prof Cephas Tushima
Chief Patrick Idoko
Hon Patience Akor
Hon Fred Idoko
Hon Lawrence Ekpo Onoja Jnr
Hon Andrew Abah
Hon Agbo Innocent Ikwumonu
Hon Simon Omachoko
Hon David Egboja
Dr John Garba
Among together,
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