Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Usman Ododo has banned all illegal collection of daily revenue by transport unions in all the 21 local government areas of the state.
The Governor also directed Security agencies to immediately enforce strict compliance, saying his administration will not tolerate any disruptions to public order in the implementation of the directive.
Ododo gave this directive on Wednesday in Lokoja during an enlarged meeting with the transport union officials, security agencies, staff of Kogi State Internal Revenue Service and other stakeholders.
He said while government respects the constitutional rights of individuals to freedom of association, union dues must be fair, agreed upon by members, and collected monthly, bi-annually, or annually as specified in their by-laws and not daily.
The governor who was represented by the state’s Commissioner of Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, added that such trend cannot continue unchecked by a responsible government.
“We will not hesitate to act decisively where personal or group interests conflict with the collective good of our people.
“In 2017, the Kogi State Revenue Harmonization Law introduced the Infrastructure Maintenance Levy (IML), a small daily contribution by commercial vehicles plying our roads.
“This levy was established to maintain and improve the state’s infrastructure, which is vital for economic growth. Unfortunately, the implementation of this law has been undermined by some union leaders who prioritize personal gain over the interests of their members and the state.
“Instead of remitting these funds as stipulated, they have resorted to collecting illegal membership dues, depriving both their members and the government the much needed revenue for the development of Infrastructure and provide welfare services to the people,” Ododo said.
He added that the government has specified daily rates of N500 – N700 as Infrastructure Maintenance Levy across the state for tricycles, motorcycles, buses and taxi, depending on their areas of operations within the state.
These, he said followed consultations with relevant stakeholders including the transport unions.
He said the above rate was arrived at to give a measure of relief to the motorists and the operators from the burden of multiple payments, while the interest of the relevant unions is also considered.
“We count on the cooperation of all stakeholders to ensure the success of this initiative, which is aimed at enhancing our infrastructure and improving the standard of living for all residents of Kogi State,” the Commissioner said.
The deputy Director, Department of State Services, (DSS), Peter Fashola who spoke on behalf of the security agencies in the state, promised to collaborate with the government to ensure compliance.
The representatives of the transport unions, Yahaya Ibrahim, who stood in for the NURTW and Ovoro Abdullahi Ovurevu, for tricycle operators in their separate response, promised to educate their members on the new development.
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