By Mercy Akuba
Tricycle and motorcycle riders in Esan West Local government have accused the Esan West LGA Council of alleged complicity over the cost of obtaining reflective jacket, identity cards and others in the local government.
Our reporter gathered that the hue and cries of bike riders in Esan West has become a tension soak as they described the cost of issuance of reflective Jackets, stickers and other items for the sum of Six thousand, five hundred naira (6,500) as extortion.
Some of the bike riders complained that the 6,500 as against the initial 4,000 annual cost is a burden on them couple with the high cost of fuel .
A bike rider Mr. Odianosen Collins who spoke to our correspondent said that they are uncomfortable with the new development and the level at which the extortion is being meted out on them by the Council enforcers is frightening and disturbing.
” Them go say make we buy jacket for 6, 500 ( six thousand five hundred) the one we get before sells for 4,000( four thousand naira ) comes with an Identity card. Governor Obaseki be say make anybody nor dey tax us anyhow again. I don’t understand what is happening now. Na only us dey this area? Make them go cut ticket for market, do apron for tailors and vulkernizers them fit get revenue from there”.
Mr. Johnson who is also a tricycle rider coroborated the above saying ” I am a teacher and I drive Keke in other to get more money to cater for my family but what do I get; taxes here and there. Buying of reflective jacket is getting out of hand. They said they want to create a database for us, we already have a database with the former jacket we had before these Chairman came on board. We already have numbers inscribed in our jacket to identify us. Which one is this one. What we use to see here is our members enforcing revenue collection, they don’t collect revenue by themselves. The Council is strangling us here. The Governor should come to our aid”
Scooping to get the reaction of the Chairman of Esan West Local government, Collins Aigbogun explained that the insecurity in Edo Central led to the decision to profile Tricycle and bike riders to officially input them in a database.
According to Comrade Aigbogun , during the festival period, alot of residents including bike riders were kidnapped and in a bid to know the identity of each bike riders, reflective jackets, stickers, identity cards embossed with their photograph and numbers would be provided for them for easy identification of crime related activities whenever it occurred.
He further asserted that bike riders are instruments used by criminals to perpetrate their naferious activities and in a bid to checkmate them, the LGA Council came up with the measure of profiling them.
Aigbogun further said that the tricycle and motorcycle riders were all carried along in the scheme of things emphasizing that the issuance of reflective jacket, caps, ID card and others is a yearly affair and due to shortage of Staff in the Council, members of Annewatt are the enforcers carrying out the directive.
He also alleged that all effort made to hold a meeting with the State leadership of ANNEWATT has been resisted.
According to him, both Annewatt and the Council needs to sit at a round table and agree on the percentage Annewatt will take from the 6,500.
He emphasised that what the council is concerned about is the security of the people and not the token being paid by bike riders.
He however appeal to the leadership of ANNEWATT to allow peace to reign by scheduling a meeting to profer the way forward.
Also speaking, the Edo State Coordinator of ANNEWATT, Comrade Oregbe Omorodion took a swipe on the Local government Chairman saying that he is hiding under the cover of promoting Security to extort their members.
“ANNEWATT is being treated like an outcast. Some newly elected council chairmen are pushing us to the wall. We don’t want to go to the street to protest because we don’t want the enemies of Edo State government to say opposition has given us money to discredit the government. We are in government and will not do anything to dent the image of a performing Governor who is already finishing well and strong. We are calling Mr. Governor, the law enforcement agencies to assist in calling them to order”.
Comrade Oregbe who referred to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Edo State law of 2017 prohibiting Councils from collecting revenue from mechanically propelled and engage consults outside the harmonised revenue collection arrangement by the Mr. Godwin Obaseki led government averred that the Chairman is clearly operating outside the law.
“They don’t have the legal right to issue reflective jacket, stickers, ID card etc to our members as the bike riders are not members or Council staffs.They belong to the informal sector.
The State chapter of the PDP should please urgently call on the Chairman and make them see bike riders as a formidable tool in helping the party improve it’s fortune at the polls.
“We have been working within the state law of 2017 and we have not experience what we are going through in the hands of tis Council Chairmen from Edo Central”.
“On the accusations that ANNEWATT refused to hold meeting with LGA Chairman is not correct as we went to the Council and meet with the Chairman who snubbed us and boasted that he is the Executive Chairman and he can do what he like in his local government. As we speak, he has summoned our Coordinators to report to the Council on Monday to render account for the welfare. Are ANNEWATT Executive members of the LGA Council? We shall approach the court for the law”. He said.
All further attempts to get the State Government reactions on the matter proved abortive as calls and text messages sent to the private line of the Commissioner for Local government,Hon. Monday Osaigbovo did not yield result.
Comrade Oregbe however called on the Commissioner to tell the Chairman to allow Okada riders in Edo Central breath.