By John Ugo, Awka
Business activities were brought to a halt in parts of the commercial town of Onitsha as heavy duty truck and lorry drivers blocked the ever busy Onitsha-Asaba, Owerri and Awka express roads and adjoining routes to other towns in Anambra state.
The protest was against the unbearable taxes imposed on owners of the trucks and other illegal levies by the APGA led government of Governor Charles Sokido.
The aggrieved drivers blocked the Enugu-Onitsha, Onitsha-Owerri expressway, Onitsha -Niger Bridge Head-Asaba major routes and all the roads that lead into and out of Anambra State.
They bitterly complained against against the tax imposition on trailers, lorries, truck and other vehicles bringing goods into the State.
Soludo had shortly on resumption of office announced the payment of N30,000 for trailers loading and offloading goods in Anambra State.
Other trucks are to pay between N25,000 and N20,000 respectively, for ten and six tyre- lories and trucks.
Some of the protesting drivers alleged that they were forced to pay N15,000 depending on the truck, while other buses pay N5,000 and N3,000, respectively for loading and offloading of goods.
The illegal levies have attracted the anger of many critics in the state.
The payment of the heavy taxes has also been extended to industrialists, businessmen, importers and warehouse operators, located in different locations around Onitsha.
Residentail buildings in Onitsha, Awka and Nnewi urban areas are not spared. Even commercial buses and tricycle operators had protested against the levies.
They urged the State government to cancel such levies and withdraw the taskforce officials deployed to collect taxes alleging that they constitute threats to lives and security, as well as exposing them to kidnappers.
Residents of Onitsha especially traders during the protest were made to trek long distance before they could get to the various markets and destination, following the gridlock along the routes.
They wondered why a responsible government would impose such amount of levy on vehicles bringing goods, including food stuffs into the state at this critical time of the year, considering the high inflation rate, high cost of diesel and petrol, and when people are struggling to eat.
They argued that residents and people of the state are preparing for Christmas and New Year celebrations and wondered what the government wants the poor masses to do.
They described the Government’s action as greedy, callous and irresponsible.
A driver Odion Omoroge, who drove all night from Abuja to Benin, with bags of Garri and some tubers of yam into Onitsha, expressed shock at the levy.
He ssid that he has never seen such a level of harsh taxation anywhere in Nigeria.
According to Omoroge, “The problem with this government as I observe is that it believe that money collected from the people as levy and tax and other revenues are the only money that it will use to work for the people.
“It is not talking about money from the government; and one begins to wonder if Anambra State is not getting any allocation from Federal government.”
What Anambra people and people
coming into this state will be seeing in the near future about this government will be terrible and shocking to them, its obsession for levy and revenue is alarming.
“I am afraid that one day there may be a bloody revolt by the people, against this government because everything it is doing is extreme.
“Touts are everywhere in Onitsha, violently collecting money from people. Even men and women in uniforms are violently stopping motorists on the roads accusing them of one false traffic offense or the other and violently collecting car and vehicle keys and making them to part with fines ranging from N10,000, N20,000 and N50,000, we know that are not paid into government accounts.”
He added that “Violence in everything about collection of money is being witnessed daily in Anambra State particularly in Onitsha, violence is more pronounced in this government more than ever before, yet the same government said it does not want touts. People who are close to the corridor of power should tell the Governor to change his style.”
