FCTA to seal offices, hotels over N10bn waste evacuation debt

• …Exercise begins today

As workers resume work today after the Easter holiday, some government offices, hotels, plazas and other business premises will be sealed due to debts owed the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB).

This is coming on the heels of the task team set up by the FCTA permanent secretary, Mr Olusade Adesola, to recover over N10bn owed the board by several government agencies, business premises and residential apartments in the nation’s capital.

This information was disclosed by the director of AEPB, Engr Osilama Briamah, while addressing journalists over the weekend.

Engr Briamah said the task team, headed by him, had been mandated to apply all legal means to recover the huge sums of money from the debtors, adding that the debts accrued over time due to the failure of those concerned to pay for services rendered to them by the AEPB.

According to him, “All of us desire to live and work in a world-class city comparable to other beautiful cities around the world. But we can only do that successfully if we behave as responsible citizens by paying our utility bills, especially for solid and liquid waste collection.”

“Unfortunately, many agencies, residential apartments, hotels, plazas and so on are not paying their bills as expected. That makes it difficult to raise the money needed to manage a mega city like Abuja.”

He said, beginning from 5:30am on Tuesday, April 19, based on a court order obtained by the AEPB, the task team would embark on a mass seal up of the affected facilities with the aim of recovering the huge money owed.

He lamented that the AEPB had made moves to provide soft landing for the debtors through negotiated settlements to no avail, adding that the only option left was to apply the legal means by enforcing the court order.