A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Paul Ikonne, has strongly condemned Abia State government’s ‘insensitive’ imposition of revenue on Aba traders, frowning at the jacking up of the revenue from N18,000 per shop to over N36,000 annually.

He also lamented the unbearable hardship meted out to traders in Aba under the administration of Governor Alex Otti, describing the current level of taxation as insensitive, exploitative, and destructive to the commercial lifeline of Nigeria.

While issuing the condemnation through his Chief Press Secretary, Ujo Justice, in a statement in Abuja after addressing stakeholders including some market leaders, Ikonne noted that Aba, widely recognized as one of the commercial hub of Nigeria, has been crippled by Governor Otti’s tax policies.

He lamented traders in Ariaria International Market, who previously paid N18,000 per shop, are now forced to pay over N36,000 yearly, stressing: “With more than 88,000 shops in Ariaria alone, this translates to an outrageous N3.1 billion annually.”

The APC chieftain noted that it is the same story of pain and suffocation playing out at Ekeoha Shopping Centre, Timber Market, and other trading clusters in Aba.

Ikonne asked: “Why should Aba traders, the very heartbeat of commerce in southern Nigeria be strangled by such reckless and selfish-driven taxation?”

He recalled that; “Governor Otti promised Aba traders lower taxes during his campaign, yet today, the reverse is the reality. Instead of providing relief, the administration is exploiting the sweat of hardworking businessmen and women.”

Ikonne also wondered why the Otti-led government is asking traders in Ariaria to pay as high as N15 million to re-acquire their shops after remodeling, describing it as an anti-trader policy that adds untold hardship and suffering.

He stressed that the monthly federal allocation of over N30 billion to Abia State and Local Government which receives over 100 million is more than enough to provide modern, well-equipped markets with necessary amenities such as power supply, potable water, fire service stations, and security, without exploiting traders.

“There is no justification for squeezing Aba traders dry when government has the financial capacity to build these markets and still provide essential infrastructure. This N15 million shop fee and N36,000 annual revenue levy are wicked, exploitative, and not in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which is designed to water the ground for the masses and ease the burden of doing business,” he declared.

Beyond taxation, Ikonne stated that up until now the questions over the whereabouts of the N54 billion Governor Otti claimed to have spent on renovating 51 schools that cannot be found anywhere, and the N7 billion allegedly spent on recreational centres that do not still have not been answered.

“Governor Otti, fear God and show us the 51 schools you claimed to have renovated with N54 billion,” he queried in the statement.

He also condemned the total abandonment of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the previous administration, which guaranteed traders the right to reclaim their shops after remodeling.

“That agreement has been thrown into oblivion, leaving traders displaced, frustrated, and at the mercy of government manipulation. A people-centered administration should protect the interest of its traders, not betray them,” Ikonne stressed.

He emphasized that despite President Tinubu’s administration ensuring that Abia receives huge allocations, excluding oil derivation funds as an NDDC state, Aba—the state’s economic capital—remains abandoned and strangled by taxation without development. (Daily Sun)