Commercial vehicle drivers in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, have threatened to protest over arbitrary levies imposed on them by touts who claim to be working for the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
The drivers said the activities of these touts have made their work difficult, as they are forced to part with money against their will, despite the significant expenses they incur to maintain their vehicles.
The Rivers State Chairman of the Drivers Welfare Club of Nigeria (DWCN), Comrade Christopher Ezeali, stated that despite reporting the activities of the council workers and touts to the authorities, commercial drivers continue to be exploited.
Ezeali claimed that police officers sometimes accompany the council workers to enforce payment of various levies, and he emphasized that the drivers have decided to protest the situation rather than passively accept it.
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“We have raised several alarms about the activities of touts in Obio/Akpor, particularly around the Rumuola and Rumuokoro areas, to the state government.
“Even the security agencies have been reluctant to address our plight,” he said.
“The reason we are raising the alarm again is that if nothing is done to tackle this daily touting menace, we will resort to self-help or protest.
“Then, the police will look for someone to blame for any breach of peace. Instead of focusing on fighting crime, the police have now turned themselves into revenue enforcers.”
Ezeali further revealed that they have a video showing a particular officer patrolling with the touts, despite the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area Chairman, Chijioke Ihunwo, distancing himself from any levy enforcement operation.
He added that commercial drivers have been informed that enforcement of local government emblems would soon begin, with plans to impound vehicles without Obio/Akpor local government stickers.
“If this happens as planned and our vehicles are impounded at the Sars Road dump site, we will shut down from Tuesday, February 18, and protest at the Government House so our voices can be heard.
“We cannot be forced into submission for multiple taxation,” Ezeali said.
He explained that for the past 12 years, drivers have only been required to pay a single consolidated ticket, known as the unified ticket, issued by the Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue.
However, local governments have now begun printing their own tickets without suspending the unified ticket.
“Yet, they want to start enforcing the emblems for motorists.
“There is no local government law empowering them to issue emblems and levies. It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport,” Ezeali concluded.
