[size=18pt]Abuja bill seeks power to sack chairman, councillors[/size]

By Ini Ekott

July 20, 2010 12:26AM



A new bill which seeks to replace the Abuja Municipal Area Council - currently administered as a local government council - with a Board of Directors, has been sent to the National Assembly by the Presidency.

The council, recognised as a part of the six area councils of the federal capital territory, will be replaced with the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, if the bill becomes law.

Power to choose members

The bill, sent by President Goodluck Jonathan months ago, seeks to grant sweeping powers to the federal capital territory minister, who as the head of the board, will choose other members at will, and independently peg their pay.

Replacing AMAC, which is presently run as an Area Council, with a chairman and councillors, the presidency hopes will help scale up service delivery within the city centre, as the federal capital territory faces an increasingly growing population.

“The Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, shall be responsible for the efficient and operation of Municipal Services within the FCT,” the bill says.

The board of Directors, the bill says, will consist of the Minister, who shall be Chairman, the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority, who shall be the Vice Chairman, and the coordinator who shall be a full time member of the Board.

Five other members, who shall be persons with “cognate experience” in environmental and or municipal matters, it continues, will be appointed by the Minister who will also determine their remuneration.

The board members, except the Coordinator, will, however, be placed on a part-time, and each member would serve for four years, a longer term than the political tenure of the present chairmen and councillors of the council.

With the minister having additional powers to alter the number of departments of the council and “issue regulations prescribing additional departments for the council,” the bill seeks to confer wide powers on the Board chairman, raising the prospect of it facing a severe scrutiny by the lawmakers during consideration.

dictatorship or a democracy?!