The state-wide broadcast of the Anambra State Governor, Chief
Willie Obiano, promising that Anambra State Government will ‘waive’ some
draconian taxes is a sign of coming victory for the masses of Anambra state on
the terms of the vibrant opposition in the state in which vanguard we proudly
are.
With this promise of an announcement from a cornered oppressor
who has fallen to people’s power, the long-suffering people of Anambra State
are once again set to snatch freedom from the jaws of tyranny.
However, coming when a losable election for the misgoverning
party is in sight, it is an uncompleted and uncompletable trick, stripped of
all the moralities that should be found in governance.
For close to three years, our consistent song of over-taxation
and multiple taxation to the people of Anambra State by multiple agencies of
government which collected money in cash after manhandling the grand-mothers on
Anambra State in various markets, parks and streets and no one listened, until
a handful of viable aspirants announced their intention to give Anambra State a
direction after winning next year’s election.
As part of their fleecing of the masses they collected wheel
barrow tax, hawking tax,farming tax, pepper tax, environmental tax, radio tax .
engine oil tax and all levies under the sun.
Worse still the state government, having decapitated the local
government against the letters and spirit of Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which guarantees democratically elected
local governments as well as the 1999 Anambra State local Government law, the
state government stepped in to collect even planning fees, market levies,
liquor license fees, business premises etc, accruable to LGs, collected them in
cash and blowing them on misplaced priorities.
So far these usurped revenue collected in raw cash by muscle men
have been spent on sustenance of over 500 political appointees, including 11
Special Advisers on Political matters, sumptuous birthday parties, champagne
orgies and funding of a gubernatorial candidate in Edo State- who would adjust
his name from Onaiwu to Ononiwu, while speaking to Ndigbo and return it to the
original with other persons.
Yet these taxes are coming after blowing up of substantial
investments of Anambra State, which has left a state that is not paying the
minimum wage across salary scales with depleted reserves.
This shallow move to redeem this situation by strong empty
statements is too little too late, because Ndi Anambra have decided to chart a
new course in its affairs and would not be wrong because the broadcast
containing these pronouncements is only yet another promise when others have
not been kept.
Not even the announcement over a year ago with fan fair that 25
prisoners in Anambra will be released and rehabilitated with the sum of N25
million has crystallized in a state that gives the wrong impression to the
world on the true state of affairs in the state.
We liken the latest panic move to that made in January when INEC
fixed March 5, for the conduct of the repeat elections for Anambra Central
Senatorial zone in announcing the lift of ‘restrictions placed on the movement
of motorcycles and tricycles’, unconstitutionally disrupted from movement and
business in the first place, without legislation.
Now we are back to removing what had no place in our system in
the first place and making it sound like a favour has been done, but worse
still attributing it to factors that differ from what it really is.
The biggest issue therefore is that of believing this government which was a while ago arresting its own agents of tax collection in a showmanship of shame, preparatory to this announcement, yet has not shown evidence of recovery in the extorted funds.
The biggest issue therefore is that of believing this government which was a while ago arresting its own agents of tax collection in a showmanship of shame, preparatory to this announcement, yet has not shown evidence of recovery in the extorted funds.
The same government claimed to have made $5m from export of
vegetables in one fell swoop and proceeded to convert a rice production
enterprise of so many years into a ‘public’ product for propaganda reasons,
using the portrait of the governor.
The fulfillment of this announcement promise against subsisting
odd lies in truly translating this announcement into an actionable government
policy, for which there is no sign as yet.
It is very instructive of what our democracy and our
constitution has become that no aspect of the governor’s speech made reference
to the State House of Assembly, which is vested with the powers of legislature
and appropriation in a supposedly critical issue bordering on tax collection
and abolishing of tax regime.
But even in the sublime nature of this reformed promise, the
terminal APGA-controlled government stopped short of stating what would become
of the collections made illegally by the state government or those made in
usurp of the functions of the local government, let alone state what will
happen to the employees retained by the state to collect these multifarious
taxes.
Hence for us, the government has a lot more to say to Ndi
Anambra to make sense and mean business.
To start with the State Government should declare the quantum
and magnitude of legal and illegal taxes collected in exploitation of Ndi
Anambra up to the time the oppressed exploded into the demonstrations
occasioning this panic announcement , account properly for them and arrange a
proper return of illegal taxes to exploited helpless lowliest of Anambra State
, LG funds to the respective LGs with unconditional apologies.
This is the next focus of the struggle which our great party is
not tired of leading.
Even then of all the four taxes said to be abolished with the
barracks language of ‘immediate effect’- Consolidated emblem, hawkers permit,
wheel-barrow tax and students extortion- that of students I vague. ‘I hereby
abolish the imposition of unapproved levies on students in public primary and
secondary schools in the state’.
This statement made without specifics goes to no issue because
the unsuspecting parent does not know which and which is approved, and the
approving authority and cannot question school authorities on a normal day
particularly for unreceipted payments.
Does this unauthorized payment include the compulsory laptop
that was to be acquired for teachers by the state government at 180 percent of
the market value under Obiano’s watch dangerously close to the March 5, aborted
senatorial polls?
Regarding the other recycled measures, the employment of primary
health care personnel, the intervention in small and medium scale industries is
the responsibility of government, and unless the Anambra State Government can
make proper legislative references for the ‘minimum of N3bn’ which it plans to
inject into ASBA going by the panic announcement, something sinister is brewing
without the imprint of the legislature and ought to be carefully checked.
It does not matter whether it is coming from a government that
claims to have attracted $4bn investment inflow, when that f the entire nation
for the same period is $1.04bn.
We urge Ndi Anambra to find the strength to complete this
struggle for complete freedom from tokenism and mediocrity and take steps to
enthrone next year a government that will realize the role that 21 local
governments, working with 21 legislatures and unexploited in revenue sources by
a wasteful Anambra State government can play in making ‘central gift’
announcements unnecessary, when the people are naturally industrious.
For ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS, ANAMBRA STATE CHAPTER
Okelo Madukaife
State Publicity
Secretary
