By Omeiza Ajayi & Ezra Ukanwa, Abuja
The Abuja Municipal Area Council AMAC has rolled out plans to honour past elected officials of the local government and as well place them on annual pension ranging from N200,000 to N500,000.
AMAC Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu (Candido) who announced this at a news conference Monday in Abuja said a Bill had been sent to the legislative arm for that purpose, adding that those to be honoured had in many ways brought development to the Council.
By far the most popular council in the country, AMAC is host to Nigeria’s seat of government and many other important national institutions.
The annual packages for past elected officials of the council would be N500,000 for elected Chairmen; N300,000 for elected Vice-Chairmen and N200,000 for elected Speakers. According to Candido; “AMAC was created on the 1st of October, 1984 as an Administrative Area. Due to the status of Abuja, it then assumed the name Area Council in 1989 alongside others, basically to develop the local areas that form the FCT.
“Right from 1989, AMAC, therefore, has had elected officials running the affairs of the Council and bringing development in their own unique ways to the people of this Council. As it were, they have served this Council with their best efforts and
nobility and left their footprints in the sands of time in AMAC.
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To forget the contributions of these individuals that brought remarkable development to our high plane as it is today will be the greatest ill-treatment to these ambassadors. They are today heroes of this Council, and we wouldn’t allow their labour to be in vain. “My administration has decided these ones will be honoured annually in order to appreciate their unforgettable landmarks in the Council.
“A Bill in this respect was crafted and sent to the legislative arm for necessary deliberation and by the grace of Almighty God, this Bill has been critically examined by the legislators and found to be worthy of being gazetted and has been passed accordingly.”
The Chairman further stated that his administration will only honour ‘elected’ officials of the council from inception to date, and that would be done annually. “This will only cover elected officials of the Council from inception to date. They are as follows: past elected Chairmen, who are six in number; past elected Vice Chairmen, who are seven in number and past elected Speakers who are nine in number”, he said
