By Olawale Ajimotokan
The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has set a target of N3 billion as remittance from the FCT Department of Outdoor Advertisements and Signage (DOAS) in 2021 to boost its internally generated revenue in 2021 and enhance its drive to provide infrastructure in the council.
The Director DOAS, Dr. Baba-Gana Adam, made the disclosure at a meeting between the agency and AMAC where they both put aside the disputes arising from who should legally collect taxes, levies and permits on outdoor advertisement and signage system in the FCT.
Adam, said the DOAS aims to achieve the target from outdoor signage advertisement in the New Year, while enjoining owners of illegal signages to come forward and pay the necessary fees to escape arrests.
The landmark agreement yielded concession to DOAS to also collect signage permits including mobile, first party and third party advertisements within the jurisdiction of AMAC in the territory.
AMAC Chairman, Abdulahi Candido, who read out the concession in a joint- statement, said though Section 7 and the fourth schedule of the 1999 Constitution vested the powers on local government areas or Area Councils as in the case of FCT, to collect advertisement permits, taxes and levies within its areas, the stakeholders resolved that in recognition of subsisting agreements and associated bye-laws, DOAS should henceforth carry out the function.
He added that the amicable settlement was in the interest of the general public and a bold step in the easing ways of doing business and doing things in common.
“As a responsive and responsible government, the council accepts that it is in the best interest of both parties and most especially the residents of AMAC in FCT to delegate this task to the Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS) in order to harmonise collections, avoid double taxation, improve the on the ease of doing business and ensure seemless tax collection in council.
“Whatever mitigations you think we have, we must not go beyond our reach, so we are not accused of contempt. But anything that is given in the course of law that two partners, who have come together means the case has been resolved,” Candido said.
