“The man dies in all who keeps silent in the face of tyranny” – Prof Wole Soyinka
It has become imperative to speak up against the multi-dimensional extortion, harassment and intimidation against the people of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, Ikosi, Ketu, Lagos by the officials, area boys and the thugs of the LCDA under the watch of the chairperson of the LCDA, princess Samiat Bada, in the questionable name of generating revenue for the LCDA.
In what looks like war against the people, Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, Ikosi, Ketu , Lagos empowers and deploys its area boys, thugs and ‘staff’ in all nooks and crannies and around markets in the LCDA extorting money, ticketing and collecting illegal taxes and revenue for the LCDA !
The fraud and illegality is criminally multi-dimensional !
For instance, at the popular Jakande fruit market which is located at the backyard of the LCDA’s(Ikosi-Isheri), secretariat, when people go to the market to buy things, the LCDA taxes them and extort money from them for parking their cars, the fruits they buy are equally taxed ! People who go to the market without car are not spared – the wheel barrow pushers whom they pay to convey the fruits are taxed and extorted too – this is the height of wickedness and criminality ! How and why should they collect money from the poor wheel barrow pushers are trying hard to make ends meet in this harsh and hard economy ? This cannot be in anyway justified !
The situation in Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, Ikosi, Ketu, Lagos is so bad and inhumane that if you are lifting your property from one place to another within the LCDA, you must give these area boys money through their illegal, and sometimes fake, tickets they issue on behalf of the LCDA.
Petty shop owners pay taxes to the LCDA for owing a shop, but again,when they go to market to buy what they will sell in their shops, another illegal ‘tax’ is collected from them by these area boys and ‘staff’ of the LCDA while conveying their goods to their shop – this is war against the poor people who voted the government !
It is paradoxical to note that the majority of these monies being extorted from people don’t get to the government coffer – it ends up in the private pockets of the area boys and ‘staff’ of the LCDA. It is therefore, imperative for Ikosi-Isheri LCDA’s chairperson, in person of princess Samiat Bada to address this extortion and illegality under her watch and let the poor people breath before they take law into their hands.
Painfully, this is a replica of the exploitative situation throughout Lagos state in the questionable name of generating revenue ! Lagosians rent an apartment, they pay land-use-charge money to Lagos government, yet the LCDA of LG come to collect money for car park permit ! They still pay PAYE tax Lagos government from their salaries. This is killing as well as wicked ! Lagosians work in organizations which pay land-use-charge money to Lagos government, yet ‘parking money’ is extorted from them when they go to markets with their car, this is apart from the PAYE tax they pay to Lagos government from their salaries. This is crude and barbaric !!!
Ipso facto, I call on governor Sanwo Olu to look into this illegal and killing multiple taxation by Lagos government and the LG/LCDA. Revenue generation should not be killing and wicked, the government should not exploit and harass the poor people in the name of revenue generation. The people are the employers of the government through their votes.
● Atoki Liberty writes from Lagos.
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