Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search
Breaking News:

AMAC appeals to Abuja residents to ignore court ruling, pay tenement rates

By Igho Akeregha, Abuja Bureau Chief
25 April 2018   |   3:47 am
Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has appealed to residents within its territory to ignore a FCT High Court judgment and pay tenement rates to the council to enable it provide quality services to the people. Addressing journalists in the council, Abdulahi Adamu Candido, chairman of AMAC, faulted a judgment delivered by a High Court of…

Court

Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has appealed to residents within its territory to ignore a FCT High Court judgment and pay tenement rates to the council to enable it provide quality services to the people.

Addressing journalists in the council, Abdulahi Adamu Candido, chairman of AMAC, faulted a judgment delivered by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory on April 12, 2018, which held that AMAC and five other Area Councils have no power under the constitution to make by-laws for the collection of tenement rates from property owners. The court also declared null and void the by-laws of the Area Councils.

Abdulahi, however, stressed that the judgment of the court was in conflict with an earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on May 12, 2014 between Afdin Ventures Limited and two others versus Chairman Abuja Municipal Area Council in favour of AMAC.

He recalled that in August 2017, the National Assembly lifted the suspension earlier placed on tenement rate collection and conveyed a formal approval to FCT Area Councils for the collection of the rates within the FCT.

According to Abdulahi, the lifting of the suspension was after the National Assembly resolved the issue that led to the suspension under the provisions of relevant sections of the constitution and Section 13 of the FCT Act, CAP 128 LFN 2004 backed by the Court of Appeal judgment.

The chairman stated that as a law abiding institution of government, it would not engage in any confrontation with other arm of government, insisting it would at all times respect constituted and judicial authority in their order.

In this article

0 Comments