ANAMBRA STATE HARMONIZES; BEGINS BIOMETRICS REGISTRATION OF TRYCYCLISTS
The Anambra State Government is to commence biometric registration of all tricycle owners and riders in the state.
Also, the State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, has approved single unified revenue ticket for all tricycle riders across the state.
The Commissioner for Transport, Mr Uche Okafor, announced this at Government House Awka, during a meeting with operators and stakeholders in the tricycle business.
The decisions reached was part of government’s effort to introduce peace and eliminate multiple taxations, which riders had always complained against.
There have been series of complaints by tricycle riders relating to multiple taxations, illegal extortions from unknown faces, face off with commercial bus drivers among other issues affecting their operations in Anambra State.
Perhaps, the complaints prompted the State Government to dissolve leadership of all tricycle unions across the state.
This is with a view to finding a lasting solution to the plight of the riders, who are always at the receiving end.
The Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Uche Okafor, said the meeting was to brief the stakeholders on the resolutions of the government towards ensuring sanity in their operations.
Mr. Okafor explained that the biometric registration was to ascertain the number of tricycles operating in the state and to help to provide security for the people.
He noted that Governor Willie Obiano had in the interest of the riders stopped payment of all levies withing the state.
The Transport Commissioner, who expressed regret that the tricycle operators had been victims of illegal revenue collections despite the ban, announced that once the ban on levies were lifted by the government, all tricycle riders will no longer be paying multiple levies.
In their separate remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Mr. Daniel Ezeanwu, and the member representing Awka North at the state House of Assembly, Mr. Boniface Okonkwor, commended govt’s bold initiative to address the inhuman treatment meted out to tricycle operators and the failure of the leaders to protect the interest of their members.
Two stakeholders, Mr Dede Uzor and Mr. Chidubem Nwadiogbu, applauded the dissolution of the union leadership and appealed to the state government to beam its search light on some areas where they alleged tricycle operators were still compelled to pay huge daily levies.
UCHE NDEKE