The Chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Maikalangu has promised to pay all outstanding liabilities owned to contractors who have completed various contracts awarded by the immediate past administration of the council.
Mr Kingsley Madaki, Senior Special Assistant, Media and Public Affairs to AMAC Chairman, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said Maikalangu, gave the assurance while addressing aggrieved contractors yet to be paid for jobs executed for the past administration.
The chairman, who appealed to the contractors to exercise patience, however, disclosed that despite the challenges of funding, the administration had paid one month salary owned by past administration.
Maikalangu, who attributed the delay in payments to dwindling Internal Revenue Generation (IGR) and expected funds from the Federal Government, expressed optimism that the contractors would be paid as soon as possible.
“It will be unfair for your money to be tied down somewhere for number of years. As you all know, this is a new administration. I resumed office on the June 14.
“So, I felt that we should invite all the contractors owned by the previous administration to know ourselves. You have worked for the council and you deserve your payment.
“I want you to have it at the back of your mind that very soon, we will call you on a proper inspection of all the projects you said you have have completed. We are going to focus on projects that have reached 100 per cent completion.
“Let the truth be told, we may not pay all. Don’t expect us to perform magic, because all the necessary findings must be done before any payment.
“Most of the debts are traced to 2016 to 2019. Government is a continuum; we want to assure you that we will gradually pay it.”
The AMAC boss disclosed that the council was making serious efforts to get the expected funds from the Federal Government.
“We will also ensure that we scale up our Internal Revenue Generation (IGR) to enable us offset our liabilities. I want to assure you that all our contractors will be paid soon,” he said.
While thanking the chairman on his promises to offset the debt owned by the previous administration, Mr Bello Shafiw, the Managing Director of Christal Love and Tina Nigeria Ltd., said the audience given by the new council chairman was a huge step in the right direction.
“With this kind of chairman in the leadership of the council, the residents should be rest assured that things will work well for good.
“We didn’t expect you to call us or have any interest in paying a debt he didn’t acquire. Most of us have lost hope since, but with this assurance we have gotten here today, our hope is revived already.
“Some of us are being owed for years after the completion of jobs. We have been asking and nobody answered us but thank God for the answer we have gotten from this present administration.” (NAN)
