I am compelled to write this by the attitude of various local government councils in Ogun State with regard to the mode of generating revenue and their penchant for ignoring laid down constitutional provisions. In my own view, most local government elected officials and civil servants need serious education in this area, lest they label Ogun State a bad investment destination.
For about four years now, small and medium scale traders in the state have been complaining about the lack of respect for the laws of the land in the area of haulage fees and various other collections that the local councils have usurped. Traders under the aegis of Alajapa Development Committee, an amalgam of different associations based in Oyo, Ogun and Osun states, have been protesting the series of anomalies and outright cheating by the revenue collectors. It is a known fact that a trader that moves from one town, village or hamlet to the other, investing his money, time and wellbeing in order to procure foodstuff from the primary producers and bring such to the various tables of the consumers is not just a local trader; he or she is investing in the economic development of Nigeria and, as such, must be protected from exploitation, extortion, intimidation and harassment.
It is sad that people in this line of business are being subjected to daily suffering in the hands of both our security agencies and government agencies. Extortion by uniformed men has been reported to the higher authorities and, happily, the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, told the Senate this much. The states and local governments are nearer to us citizens and it is our firm belief that they should be at the forefront of the struggle to make life easy for us.
The Taxes and Levies (Approved list for collection) Act, 1998 (as amended in 2015) clearly clarifies what each arm of government can collect and from who. The Act equally forbids the mounting of barricades and road blocks for the purpose of collecting taxes or levies on the highways. It is clearly stated that such abuse will attract a fine of N50,000 or three years’ imprisonment or both. Revenue collectors, according to that law, can only collect road taxes for states . The Ogun State government has also enacted a bye law that gave that responsibility to a ministry. The Ministry of Commerce which the bye law approved is being implemented by other agencies of government that have nothing to do with traders.
In Oyo State, a trader collects the Ministry of Agriculture receipt of N400 and does not pay a dime to any local government while bringing the goods to Ogun State. The Gateway State, which is only a transit state, has on the roads, the following government agencies: Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, Board of Park and Garrages, Bureau of Transport, Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency, and various local government personnel. In essence, where a mere N400 is paid in Oyo, an average Alajapa pays between N4,000 and N7,000 as taxes and levies before getting to the final destination.
The Local government and the newly created Local Council Development Authorities have jettisoned Part 3 of the Taxes and Levies (Approved List for Collection) Act which forbids them from collecting such money except the rates for shops, kiosks, liquor license, slaughter slabs, street naming, marriage, death and birth and market levies. Ogun is the next commercial hub of the nation and as such must perfect its act. Let there be a single collection point and a fee that will be traders-friendly.
Abiodun Rauph
Sango Ota,
Ogun State.
and then