Louts’ menace in Ogun unacceptable

Map of Ogun State

THE protest of multiple levies initiated by minibus drivers against the transport union executives in Ogun State on September 22 echoes a strong note against the power wielded by non-state actors through their foot soldiers or ‘agberos.’

Essentially, the commercial drivers lamented that the transport union fee, which was N4,000 and N6,000 each day has now been jacked up to N6,000 and N10,000. Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun needs to intervene quickly in this unfair hike and limit the activities of agberos to designated parks.

The drivers had protested on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway that Monday. They staged another protest at the Ministry of Transportation Complex in Abeokuta, the state capital the following day. They called on the state government to eradicate multiple ticketing and burdensome levies.

Responding to the drivers’ concern, a senior official of the Ministry of Transportation said, “We have received your complaints and are very much concerned about them. As a regulatory ministry, it is our responsibility to look into them. Please, put your complaints in writing so that necessary actions can be taken.”

The protests staged by these commercial drivers should jolt state officials from their administrative lethargy. The extortion of commercial drivers by agberos must not be allowed in a modern clime. No civilised country in the world permits non-state actors to dictate the pace of revenue generation.

‘Nuisance taxes’ by transport union workers have contributed to lawlessness. These louts who collect the multiple levies stand at literally every bus stop, inflict damage on the vehicles of adamant drivers, engage in aggressive fisticuffs, and harass passengers. These cavalier activities are unacceptable; they are a cog in the wheel of an effective transport business.

Tellingly, the lawlessness exhibited by agberos has spread from Lagos State to Ogun. Last year, a report by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting estimated that agberos in Lagos generate an annual revenue of N123 billion from daily taxes levied on bus drivers, tricycle operators, and motorcycle riders.

Alarmingly, the taxes on drivers by non-state actors exceed that of vehicle licence permits. There is no gainsaying that the money amassed from such nuisance taxes is funnelled into certain private pockets without thorough accountability to the government. This menace must stop.

The menace is not limited to Ogun and Lagos. At the national level, Taiwo Oyedele, the Chairman of the Presidential Tax Review Committee, noted that nuisance taxes weighed heavily against efficient tax collection in Nigeria. These unofficial taxes add to the cost of doing business, which is transferred to the public.

Therefore, the state government needs to adopt the use of a digital collection of revenue at motor parks and ensure a more effective system of remittance of dues without the primitive interference of agberos at bus stops which contributes to criminal activity. There should be legislation enacted to curb these extortionist levies and their outdated way of collection.

There should be a deliberate plan to take agberos off the roads of Ogun State. Abiodun needs to stop the inflow of louts from Lagos State and clip the wings of their influence before it is too late. The inaction has been prolonged due to the political use of agberos during elections.

Abiodun should realise that as the chief security officer in the state, he owes the citizens adequate security and safety.