By Stanley Onyekwere
Following the lifting of embargo on ground rent collection, Park Operators and Afnalpa (Gardeners) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are to pay the arrears in not more than three instalments with a waiver of 75% for year 2020 and 25% for year 2021, respectively, due to COVID- 19 Pandemic.
Recall that since 2016, the FCT Administration placed embargo on collection of ground rent from Park operators and Afnalpa in the nation’s capital city.
Making this disclosure during a stakeholders meeting with the Association of Parks operators, Director of FCT Department of Parks and Recreation, Hajia Abdulazeez Riskatu said the essence of the meeting was to inform and collaborate with the operators on the commencement of the grand rent collection exercise.
Abdulazeez, in a statement from Maria Okonkwo, Assistant Chief Executive Information Officer of the Department, which was made available at the weekend, revealed that the government didn’t review the price of Ground rent, as it is still N10.00 per square metre (sqm).
She also informed them that the department is set to streamline all the activities in parks and gardens in the Federal Capital City (FCC), while calling on them to fill data form adequately and clearly, in order to build database, so as to make the work easy.
Furthermore, the Director admonished the operators to always come to department to settle their concerns rather than resort to going to court, even as she revealed that she met about twenty- six cases, but had resolved about ten out of court.
Responding, some members of the association thanked the Department, while appealing that government should look into the grand rent arrears collection, and waive more years for them.
They also enumerated challenges facing them in the hands of AMAC, as they charge them with multiple taxes.
