Thursday, December 9, 2021, Civil Liberties Organisation, (CLO), Lagos state chapter, held a press conference. It was attended by journalists, okada riders and CLO members, among others....CONTINUE READING
At the conference, CLO called on Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to prevail on Ifako Ijaiye local government chairman, Hamzat Akanbi Usman, to obey the court’s order on perpetual injunction, which was granted in favour of Okada (tricycle riders) in the area.
CLO also pleaded with Hakeem Odumosu, police commissioner in the state, to intervene in the allege threat and assault meted out to Yusuf Oladimeji, chairman of Autobikes Commercial Owners and Workers Association (ANACOWA), Ifako Ijaiye chapter, by identified agents of the council.
Kenny Abiola Bakare, CLO chairman said, “We have called this press conference in order “to once again expose the illegality and total impunity displayed by the leadership of Ifako Ijaiye LG and the refusal of the council to obey the court judgment”.
According to him, “the judgment was delivered at the High Court of Lagos State High Court on Friday, July 23, 2021 in favour of ANACOWA”.
In the judgment delivered by Justice Y. R Pinheiro of the Lagos High Court in Suit No: ID/3647GCM/19, ordered the council to pay N500,000, as general damages to the okada association.
While delivering the judgment, the court restrained the council either by itself, agents, or officers from continuing to enforce and implement the daily collection of toll fess, sales of stickers, jackets or generating any money from motorcyclists outside the area specified by the fourth schedule of the constitution of Local Government levies, Approved Collection list Law 200, insisting it was illegal and unconstitutional.
Note that the main duties of local government areas and councils, as stated in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, are: collection of radio and television fess, establishment and maintenance of cemeteries, burial grounds, and homes for destitutes and the licensing of bicycles, trucks, canoes, wheel barrows and carts.
“Lagos State Ministry of Transportation also re-affirmed that no local government is empowered to collect hackney permit for motorcycles, vehicles permits motor adverts, sales of identification for motorcycles and loading and off-loading permit for vehicles”, CLO stated.
According to CLO, “despite the court judgment, the immediate past chairman of Ifako-Ijaiye LGC Apostle Oloruntoba Oke, boasted when approached that he has the right to do whatever he likes, saying his LGC was the government nobody could fought and win”.
But, this is where the CLO story-line ends. However, to a casual observer, Lagos, with an estimated population of 23million people, is divided into five administrative divisions.
This is made up of 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas, headed by chairmen elected in council polls and sworn in by the governor.
The truth is that in all the LGAs and LCDAs revenue collectors seem to be on rampage, harassing and intimidating motorists, tricycle operators, keke marwa operators, traders and other petty business owners, to part with their hard-earned money in the name of levies.
You do not have to accept hook, line and sinker what I am saying here. Simply observe your environment when you are either walking or driving through busy routes, major-bus-stops, markets, fun spots, etc to get this gist.
Some of us know that Sanwo-Olu is a listening governor. CP Odumosu is also doing his very best to tame the ever-galloping crime wave in Lagos, especially at this time of the forth-coming celebrations.
Take it or leave it, police officers and other security agents are everywhere. But, these revenue LGA and LCDA collectors are also all over the places, dishing out all sorts of receipts.
I am aware that CLO has been tackling Ifako Ijaiye council since 2018 and eventually floored the council at the court.
Therefore, I join all well-meaning people within and outside Lagos to call on the Sanwo-Olu to stop these rampaging revenue collectors, so that frustrated transporters may not be forced to go into crime, in order to survive.
Lagos is strategic for both local and foreign investors and in reality, the police and other security agencies, despite challenges are doing their best to tame insecurity.
However, LG and LCDA revenue collectors should not heat up Lagos with their reckless and restive methods of collecting levies from people and petty business owners.
