THE Nigerian Bar Association on Wednesday vowed to take to the streets for the second time, in a renewed face-off between the Lagos State government over the ‘reviewed’ Land Use Charge.
The NBA chairman, Adesina Ogunlana at a press briefing stated that members of the association would take to the streets regardless of President Mohammadu Buhari’s visit to Lagos state on Thursday.
Nigerian Tribune recalls that the public hearing organised by the state house of Assembly turned rowdy on Tuesday as the Ogunlana led team walked out of the sitting, insisting that the notice to submit their memorandum was too short.
The NBA tagged the protest, ‘welcome’ President Muhammadu Buhari to Lagos.’
According to. Ogunlana the protest is a response to the failure of the State government and Lagos State House of Assembly, (LAHA) to meet its demands.
The protest according to the NBA Chairman will hold at 2.00 p.m after the President’s commissioning of a newly built bus terminal in Ikeja.
ALSO READ: Land-Use-Charge: DSS officials visit NBA
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had reduced the levies by 50% following the uproar that greeted the LUC.
The review, however, did not go down well with some stakeholders who insisted the return to status quo.
“The reduction is a sham, a farce and a fraud because the rates prescribed now subjected to reduction is based on a fraudulently extractive foundation.
“There was no proper evaluation of properties.
“Property owners were never aware or involved in any evaluation of their properties.
“So what we had from the government is ghost evaluation.
“So when the government says it is slashing cost, they are only deceiving people: the amounts prescribed are mere fantasies of their imagination,” Ogunlana said.
and then