Illegal levies: Group sends SOS to govt

LOWER Semi Truck Association of Nigeria, Anambra State Chapter, has decided to embark on a warm up protest by pulling their trucks from the high way from Friday, 16th – Saturday,17thNovember, 2018, in protest of alleged multiple levies.
Addressing Journalists at the state headquarters of the association, the national president of the association, Louis Alakwe, stated that members of the association have suffered much from the hands of touts who extort various levies and taxes from their members
He stated that most of their customers from outside the state have stopped coming to Anambra State because of the harassment and untold hardship by different groups posing as government agents.
Mr Alakwe said the association had been supportive of government programmes and complying with her directive to enhance internally generated revenue.
He stated that their members pay more than 10 different levies daily amounting to N3, 000.
He disclosed that Onitsha Ado youths Association forced them to register with N30,000 ,while Road Transport Association, who normally block the high ways collect N1,000 from them daily.
He said their members, amounting to 4, 000 in the state, are pulling their vehicles from the road for two days as a warm up protest to register their demand.
While calling on the state government to intervene in their plight, National Secretary Anselem Ike Okuife urged their member to keep calm and wait for government intervention stressing that Willie Obiano represents good governance. “We urged the government to provide avenue where we will be paying the stipulated N300 each member to avoid touts from hi-jacking revenue collection and intimidation of our members”.