‘‘Things are really sad in a country that is thickly populated with small men, with larger pockets; conscienceless men that have eaten the cakes belonging to the toiling masses” – Quoted in Nowinta’s book-2009: WHERE WE ARE (page118)
Pebbles with Igbotako Nowinta
Since Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was sworn in as the Governor of Edo State on November 12th 2008, the announcement of June 1, 2015, banning some individuals and organizations/Local Governments agents, etc., from collecting tax on behalf of Edo State Government was the best news I have heard.
This is so because these so-called tax collectors/agents in recent times have constituted themselves into harrowing and anachronistic menace on the major streets, markets, junctions, etc., in Edo State by their crude, brutal and heartless methods of collecting taxes.
These profusely wicked people, I mean the tax collectors said to have been banned by Edo State Government recently indeed made the people to look helpless, abandoned and condemned to slavery, even under a civilian administration.
Specifically, when making the announcement banning the tax collectors, Chief Oseni Elama, Executive Director of Edo State Internal Revenue Board said that Edo State Government had terminated the appointment of Akugbe Ventures as government revenue collection agent; all illegal revenue collections and ticketing in Edo State; banned all forms of illegal collections perpetrated under the guise of ticketing across the state.
Chief Elama went on to name Road Transport Workers, Commercial Drivers, Okada Riders, Market Traders, Community Development Associations, Edo State Drivers Welfare Scheme, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, etc., as glaring culprits engaged in the notorious ticketing and extortions within Edo State.
Most heart-warming, the Boss of Edo State Internal Revenue Board declared that men of Nigeria Police Force Edo State Command have been adequately briefed to deal ruthlessly with any one contravening the pronouncement of Edo State Government in that regard.
Finally, Chief Elamah instructed the people of Edo State to make it as a point of duty to always visit the designated offices of the Edo State Internal Revenue Services to pay their taxes into the Internal Generated Revenue Bank Accounts.
Indeed, the June 1st 2015, historic pronouncement gladdened my heart. I did not know when I shouted aloud close to a newspaper stand at the Oba Ovonranmen Square in the city center during the week that: ‘Enough of these tax bandits, government should stop them once and for all’
Yes! The activities of these tax collectors have become a huge albatross hanging on the integrity of Adams Oshiomhole’s civilian administration.
It is on record that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole vowed and ranted loudly as soon as he came to power in 2008; that all forms of illegal taxation within the state should stop immediately.
But, we don’t know what went wrong or the kind of terrible pressure/manipulations or conspiracy that occurred behind the scene, which forced the Comrade Governor and those in charge of things to look the other way as illegal taxation and all categories of extortion soon descended mercilessly on the helpless citizens of Edo State like special demons on assignment.
You need to see these tax collectors in action, before one will not hesitate to address them as ‘blood suckers or tax bandits.’
The most painful aspect of their modus operandi is the tragic fact that most of the money being collected normally ends in private pockets of stupendously rich miscreants or social misfits. It is a sad story of ‘Monkey is working Baboon is eating.’ Pure water hawkers are being made to pay for tickets!
In an economy that is hyper-inflationary, where the average market women, taxi/bus drivers and other categories of road users/law abiding citizens are battling to eke a living on daily basis, only for a set of lazy jobless idiots to be lording it over everybody in the name of horrendous ticketing, cultism and extortion in a democratic society! What a shame!
It is in this light that one must commend the bravery of Chief Oseni Elamah, and by implication the recent efforts of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in waking up to its avowed responsibility, to nip in the bud the nefarious activities of a few individuals sitting on the bottomless pit of ‘blood money,’ while majority of hard-working responsible citizens are wallowing in fearful silence and abject poverty.
It is never too late in the life of Adams Oshiomhole’ administration to fulfil his promise to the people of Edo State in this regard by ensuring that these tax bandits cheating on all of us and systematically milking the resources of the state are effectively checked once and for all.
In dealing with them the administration should never mind whose ox is gored .This is the only way that the people will continue to savor the confidence of the regime.
Just for the record. Only few days ago the market women in Oba Market, Benin City were complaining that illegal ticketing was still going on in the evening.
Even, as I was driving home the other day members of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) were busy forcing bus drivers to pay money.
This time around Edo State government should never allow these tax bandits to break its will. After all, after God it is government that is in charge of the daily affairs of citizens. Time will tell who will blink first in this current big muscle flexing.
Nowinta wrote WHERE WE ARE – A Call For Democratic Revolution in Nigeria
