…Urges Kenya Assembly relying on legislature to develop het city center
BY RAPHAEL EKPANG, ABUJA
Members of the Senate committee on FCT have tasked the Minister of FCT, MOHAMMED BELLO and his team on increase revenue generation in the FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY to enable them achieves the developmental projection of the founding fathers.
The Senate made the call on Thursday during an interacting session with the Minister of FCT and his team.
“We want you to improve in your internally generated revenue as that is the only way you can meet the needs of the residents of the FCT.” Chairman of the committee, SENATOR ABUBAKAR KYARI said.
SEN. PHILIP ADUDA representing FCT tasked the FCT administration on aggressive revenue drive to meet up with the current development space of city centres across the globe.
He however, noted that a lot of residents of FCT are not aware of the need to pay their tax and other revenue accruing to the authorities as such have not been paying their charges.
He also advised the FCT INTERNAL REVENUE department to pull out from the FEDERAL INLAND REVENUE SERVICE, stating that the 4% deduction by the FIRS could have serve a great deal in the development of the capital city
“I know what I am saying, a lot of FCT residents don’t get your information as such they have not being paying their tax, including myself, you have not been coming g to my house to collect the environmental bills likewise many others, so by the time you make information available to all you will realize that you will be generating billions of naira instead of the N700, 000. 000 you have settle for.” ADUDA stated.
Earlier, the chairman of the committee, SEN. ABUAKAR KYARI had informed the minister of FCT of the need to complete all the ongoing projects in the capital city as well as the satellite towns, stressing that Abuja must not only be a city capital but should be seen as one.
SEN. KYARI drew the attention of the minister to the level of crime currently going on in the city capital; KIDNAPPING, BANDITRY, PROSTITUTION as well as the return of motor cycle o[erators popularly known as Okada to the city center urging the minister to expedite action towards curbing the aforementioned,
“We are ready to provide any assistance required to enable you get rid of these menace in the capital city including legislation, because i understand that there are lots of agencies created without the legal back up-therefore I want to assure you that we are much ready to provide legislation to that effect,”
However, SEN. KYARI urged the AREA COUNCIL CHAIRMEN to sit up, stating that the only way they can continue to enjoying the allocation from the budget was for them to prepare to come up with new developmental strides to justify the allocation going to them because it’s not going to be business as usual.
In respond however, the minister of FCT, MOHAMMED BELLO assured the Senators of a good working relationship and collaboration towards the development of the city center and its satellites.
“We are ready to work with you to achieve the desire development in Abuja. Meanwhile, our focus now is to complete the ongoing capital projects within a space of time, also all that you have mentioned here we are going to take serious steps to towards achieving them.” He said.
In another development, the Senate committee on FCT also advised the KENYAN PARLIAMENT on good legislature in order to develop it capital city NAIROBI to meet up the aspiration of its founding fathers.
This was made known during a visit by the KENYA CONSTITUTIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, CIOC to the Senate committee in Abuja on Thursday.
SEN. TOLULOPE ODEBIYI, the vice chairman of the senate committee on FCT said that Nigeria was able to bring out the FCT from four states without issues due to the military fiat and the land use act of that time, he therefore advised the KENYAN PARLIAMENT that they can only achieve that through a thorough legislature and consultancy with all and sundry.
