Less than two months to the inauguration of Prof Charles Soludo as governor of Anambra State, some revenue contractors are perfecting plans to challenge his fight against corruption in the Internally Generated Revenue department.

It was gathered that this is to frustrate fresh revenue contracts that would be awarded by Soludo”s administration and battle them to a standstill while still forcing members of the public and business establishments to continue to pay to them even when their contracts have been terminated.

The plot, which would be hatched at major markets and motor packs in four towns in Anambra State may appear bloody as any resistance would be crushed.

It would be recalled that in 2004, under the administration of Senator Chris Ngige, an army of hoodlums’ unleashed mayhem on Anambra State, following the plugging of revenue leakages in the state then that was being perpetrated by some politicians that allegedly hijacked revenue contracts to feather their own nests.

But the Anambra State security operatives have already been placed on red alert for any eventuality, warning that they will not take kindly to any attempt by persons or group of persons to disrupt the peace in the state. Already security operatives have commenced manhunt for some of the revenue contractors suspected to be plotting the showdown.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said that the information is yet to reach the command but was quick to add that the security operatives were battle ready to take on miscreants. He urged members of the public to go about their legitimate duties without fears.

Already, there is growing tension in Anambra State following the closure of private businesses in the area by revenue Contractors, demanding one year payment of taxes and other levies.

At Onitsha, Awka, Nnewi and Ekwulobia, private business owners have been out of market as the revenue contractors are sealing off private schools and other businesses, who failed to pay one year tax instead of the usual monthly payments.

The insistence of the revenue contractors on the one year payment is as a result of the announcement by Soludo that all revenue contracts would be terminated immediately he is sworn in in March 17th this year.

Soludo also warned that his administration would not take kindly to the sharp practices at the Anambra State Revenue Department, where according to him; contacts are awarded without due process.

According to a school proprietor in Onitsha Mrs Nkechi Obiayo, “the revenue people have been harassing us and closing the gates of our schools and preventing students and pupils from entering our schools unless we pay one year tax instead of the usual monthly payment.

“This is the month of January and they want us to pay from January to December at once and if you refuse, they will close down your school and as I talk to now, about 50 private schools have been closed down in Onitsha alone and our members in other parts of the state like Nnewi, Awka and Ekwulobia have also been complaining,” she said.

At Awka, some private businesses now operate in fear as the revenue contractors continue to intimidate them into paying for one year and in Nnewi, traders are set to take on the revenue contractors, insisting that they would not pay taxes for one year.

But Soludo is not backing down on his resolve to stop impunity in the state. At the graduation ceremony of Pioneer Class of School of Politics, Policy and Governance founded by the Chairman of the Transition Committee, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, he described the manner idle rich people in politics milk the state dry without impacting anything positive on the lives of the people. He said: “Politics has become big business.

Appointment or election into public office is seen largely as an opportunity to “eat” rather than a call to selfless service.

“There is an army of rich (big men) who have never worked or done any productive work in their life and believe that it is their right to expect something for nothing. The tiny less than one percent elite have a stranglehold on the public purse, sprinkling occasional crumbs to the citizens as ‘dividends of democracy.

“The citizens themselves either out of helplessness or acquiescence, join the party, expecting the politicians to dole out pittance out of public treasury as charity. “The citizens actually clap for such phantom “charity”. Politicians who refuse to do so are deemed as “stingy” or “wicked”, and the circus goes on,” he said.

(New Telegraph)

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