The Abuja Delivery Van Union has urged the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to address alleged extortion of motorists in the issuance of haulage permits.
The chairman of the union, Lawal Abdullahi, made the call at a news conference in Abuja on Sunday.
Mr Abdullahi said that drivers of delivery vans and other drivers in the FCT were being harassed and extorted by consultants in the name of haulage permit.
He explained that two different consultants claimed to be engaged by two different agencies of the FCT Administration to issue haulage permits to drivers.
He said that one of the consultants allegedly engaged by the Department of Outdoor Advertising and Signage, issues FCT/state haulage permit to motorists, in the name of FCTA Joint Tax Board.
He added that the other consultant, D.S Alade Global ltd, issues haulage and goods movement permit, allegedly from FCTA Transportation Secretariat.
He described the development as double taxation from the same FCT Administration and urged Mr Wike to do something about it.
According to him, Abuja drivers are forced to purchase dual permits at costs varying from ₦35,000 to ₦50,000, depending on the seller.
“Surprisingly, each consultant of the two agencies claim legitimacy and discredit the other, leaving the drivers at the receiving end, who end up buying the two permits to avoid arrest.
“This has left taxpayers in a dilemma; unsure of which permit is valid.
“To add to our frustration, when taxpayers request to make payments into a government account, the consultants insist on collecting cash, thereby fuelling suspicions on the actual destination of the money.
“Also, the consultants collecting the fees for the permit tagged, “Wike’s Document” do not appear to have any legitimate ties with the FCT Administration, yet they continued to swindle drivers of their hard earned income.”
The chairman lamented that many unsuspecting drivers were falling prey of the illegalities, stressing that the situation required the immediate intervention of the FCT minister,
“We are calling on Wike to take immediate action by abolishing these illegal permit payments.
“We also want the FCT minister to investigate the anomaly and prosecute those using Wike’s name to extort drivers,” he said.
Mr Abdullahi called for stakeholders’ engagement regarding the issuance of haulage permits to ensure everyone was on the same page and find a lasting solution to the problem.
He equally urged responsible agencies to carry out awareness campaigns to educate drivers about their rights and responsibilities, and where to seek redress when extorted.
When contacted, a top official of the Transportation Secretariat acknowledged that the secretariat engaged a consultant to issue haulage permits to motorists.
The official assured that the issues raised by the drivers would be looked into.
(NAN)