The Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, is facing a wave of public outrage after issuing demand notices compelling residents and businesses across the Federal Capital Territory to pay the newly introduced television and radio ownership licence fees within 21 days, or risk court action and the sealing of their premises.
The enforcement drive has ignited widespread anger, with many residents describing the policy as insensitive, ill-timed, and detached from the economic realities ordinary citizens are grappling with.
Under the new structure, large corporations and banks are charged N1,000,000 annually, medium-sized businesses between N50,000 and N200,000, while households in duplexes, flats, bungalows, and single rooms are expected to pay between N3,500 and N20,000 per dwelling.
But the reaction across Abuja has been swift and scathing.
An entrepreneur who runs his business in the Central Business District, John Achungu, said the notice he received felt unreasonable and unjustified.
“Honestly, this is shocking! How can I be asked to pay for the television I use in my office? What service are they providing for that? They don’t provide the TV signal or the electricity. I just don’t understand it.”
In Wuse, food vendor Mrs. Zainab Muhammad said the recurring taxes imposed by the council had become unbearable.
“The same AMAC keeps bringing one tax after another, tenement rate, this, that. How many more are we expected to pay? Honestly, this administration has been too much from the national down to the local level,” she lamented.
For resident Ifeanyi James, the levy only worsens the pressure on households already stretched thin.
“They expect us to pay another tax just to watch TV or listen to the radio, even after paying service providers. What’s the difference between this and the old radio license?” he asked.
Community leader Samson Isah said the demand notices came as a shock. “When one of my tenants showed me the demand notice, I couldn’t believe it until I saw it myself. This is really harsh on ordinary people,” he said.
Public affairs analyst Toyin Ajayi faulted the approach taken by AMAC, insisting residents deserve clarity, not coercion.
“There should be a public campaign explaining why this tax is necessary and how the funds will be used, instead of just issuing notices with threats. Also, there must be clarity on what counts as ‘electronic devices’ to prevent harassment,” he advised.
With resentment spreading across the territory and calls for reversal growing louder, AMAC now finds itself under mounting pressure to justify the policy-or step back from what many residents have branded an unfair economic assault.
SOURCE: The Abuja Inquirer
