Dare Babalola
The Transportation Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration has suspended enforcement of the Drivers and Riders Permit Levy, pending further consultations with relevant stakeholders.
Mandate Secretary Dr Chinedum Elechi gave this directive in a letter to First Capital Cargo Ltd, the company contracted for levy collection.
The decision followed a meeting with dispatch riders’ leaders on February 19, according to Elechi’s letter obtained in Abuja on Monday.
“Following the meeting with the leaders of the Association of Dispatch Riders in the FCT, and the concerns of multiple taxation by various authorities raised during the meeting, you are by this letter directed to suspend the enforcement of collection of the Drivers and Riders Permit Levy, pending further engagement with all relevant stakeholders.
“Please ensure this directive is accorded the needed attention and compliance,” the mandate secretary said.
Recall that the dispatch riders had, on February 19, stormed the FCT Administration Secretariat, Abuja, protesting what they described as “multiple taxation.”
The riders, who came out in their thousands, appealed to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to intervene and stop the alleged extortion.
The riders claimed that they had been paying a N13,000 annual levy to the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari and Gwagwalada Area Councils, in addition to the newly introduced N25,000 permit levy by the FCT Transportation Secretariat.
This, according to them, is in addition to the N300 ticket they pay each time they enter a market in Abuja, amounting to multiple taxation.
