A former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, Paul Ikonne, has asked Governor Alex Otti to review what he described as excessive tax demands on traders in Aba.
This was as he asked the Governor to provide a clear explanation of funds allegedly spent on schools and market projects.
In a statement released on Wednesday through his Chief Press Secretary, Dr. Ujo Justice Ikonne claimed that shop owners at Ariaria International Market, who once paid ₦18,000 annually, are now charged over ₦36,000 per shop.
He estimated that with more than 88,000 shops, the new levy amounts to about ₦3.1 billion each year.
“The same situation is being experienced at Ekeoha Shopping Centre, Timber Market, and other trading clusters in Aba,” Ikonne said, stressing that the policy runs against Otti’s campaign pledge to reduce taxes.
Ikonne also called on the governor to respect the Memorandum of Understanding reached with traders by the past administration, which guaranteed them the right to repossess their shops after remodelling.
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The APC stalwart further demanded accountability for ₦54 billion reportedly allocated for the renovation of 51 schools and ₦7 billion said to have been used for recreational projects. “Governor Otti, fear God and show us the 51 schools you claimed to have renovated with ₦54 billion.
“Instead, traders are being asked to pay as high as ₦15 million to re-acquire their shops. That is an anti-trader policy that adds untold hardship and suffering.”
He noted that with a monthly federal allocation of over ₦30 billion, in addition to local government revenues, the state has enough resources to build modern markets equipped with electricity, clean water, fire services, and security, without placing extra burden on traders.
“There is no justification for squeezing Aba traders dry when the government has the financial capacity to provide these amenities. This ₦15 million shop fee and ₦36,000 levy are exploitative and run contrary to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” Ikonne said.
He stressed that Aba, regarded as the state’s economic hub, should not be “strangled by taxation without development,” adding that any government that burdens traders rather than supports them has failed in its responsibility to the people.
