Due to debts owed to the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), the board has threatened to shut down various government buildings, hotels, Plazas, and other business establishments.
The Director of the AEPB, Osilama Briamah, announced the announcement in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
Brianah stated that the move came after the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Mr Olusade Adesola, established a Task Team to recover nearly N10 billion owing to the AEPB by various government organizations, enterprises, and residential flats.
“Some government offices, hotels, plazas, and other business locations may be under lock and key as workers prepare to return to work after the Easter break due to debts owed to the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB).”
He said that the task team had been mandated to apply all legal means to recover the huge sums of money from the debtors.
The director explained that the debts accrued over time due to the failure of those concerned to pay for services rendered to them by the AEPB.
” All of us desire to live and work in a world-class city compared to other beautiful cities around the world.
” But we can only do that successfully if we behave as responsible citizens and paid our utility bills, especially for solid and liquid waste collection.
“Unfortunately, many agencies, residential apartments, hotels, plazas and so on, are not paying their bills as expected.
” That makes it difficult to raise the money needed to manage a mega-city like Abuja”, he said.
He stated the task team would commence a major seal-up of the impacted facilities at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 19, based on a court order already secured by the AEPB, with the goal of retrieving the substantial money owed.
He bemoaned the fact that the AEPB had attempted, but failed, to give a gentle landing for the debtors through negotiated settlement.
The only choice left, according to Briamah, was to use legal means to enforce the court decision and seal up the impacted properties.
The impacted debtors, on the other hand, could prevent the approaching disgrace, according to the director, by making timely payments on their obligations.
He stated that the payments could be made through the Remita Portal, which was quite convenient.
