The President of the Original Inhabitants Development Association (OIDA) of Abuja, Pastor Danladi Jeji, has criticized the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) for its demand that indigenous residents pay tenement rates. Jeji made this statement while responding to AMAC’s efforts to increase revenue through the collection of tenement fees from property owners.
He emphasized that the natives of AMAC are the rightful landowners, stating that AMAC owes rent for the use of their land. Jeji argued that AMAC should be paying a portion of the rental income back to the original inhabitants of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He further asserted that it is inappropriate for AMAC to expect its original inhabitants to pay tenement rates, insisting that they are not tenants but landowners. Jeji referenced studies from 2008 indicating that over 224 villages existed in AMAC as early as 1913, prior to Nigeria’s amalgamation in 1914, and stated that these communities are the legitimate owners of the territory.
He argued that original inhabitants should only be liable for tenement rates if they leave AMAC to reside in other states or countries. As such, he called for the council to issue tax-free certificates for all 224 villages under AMAC.
