The Executive Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Hon. Kasim Mohammed, has continued to emphasize the need to review, restructure and improve the Council’s revenue collection system, describing an efficient revenue framework as essential to strengthening the administration and improving service delivery to residents.
Against this backdrop, the Council has opened a public discussion seeking ideas and constructive perspectives from residents and other stakeholders on why the existing revenue collection system requires reform and how it can be made more effective.
In a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Executive Chairman, Muhammad Isah Hassan, residents were invited to provide convincing reasons why Gwagwalada Area Council’s revenue collection system should be reviewed, restructured and improved.
The statement explained that the discussion is intended to provide an opportunity for members of the public to share their thoughts, ideas and practical recommendations on how a more efficient revenue system could benefit the Area Council and ultimately improve the welfare of the people.
The Council’s initiative comes amid growing attention on internally generated revenue and the need for local government authorities to develop transparent, efficient and accountable mechanisms for revenue collection.
A properly structured revenue system, stakeholders argue, could help reduce leakages, improve accountability, eliminate unnecessary duplication in collection processes and ensure that revenue due to the Council is properly documented and accounted for.
It could also make revenue payment easier for residents, traders, businesses and other taxpayers while providing the Council with more reliable data for planning and budgeting.
The public discussion will be moderated by Yunus Abu-Ammar Idris, while the most convincing response is expected to receive a cash prize of ₦5,000.
The initiative, according to the statement, is courtesy of the Office of the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Executive Chairman, Gwagwalada Area Council.
The Council is therefore calling on residents and other stakeholders to participate constructively by identifying weaknesses in the existing system and proposing practical solutions capable of creating a revenue collection structure that is transparent, efficient, accountable and beneficial to both the Council and the people of Gwagwalada.
Muhammad Isah Hassan, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Executive Chairman, signed the invitation to the public discussion.