UDWAAS lauds Soludo’s revenue policy, sensitizes members on payment of IGR
By Polycarp Ifeanyi
The Urban Drivers Welfare Association of Anambra State ( UDWAAS) has commended the revenue policy instituted by the Anambra State Government, recently.
UDWAAS gave the commendation after its executive meeting held in Onitsha, Anambra state.
The Association embarked on sensitization to urge members to support Anambra State Government policy on the new revenue for commercial transport operators.
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During the sensitization exercise, it went round major commercial motor parks which included Upper Iweka Onitsha, Afor Nkpor, Ugwunwasike, Nkwelle , Ogidi Building Material and other strategic parks where they met their drivers en mass and urged them to register their vehicles and begin to pay the monthly stipulated payment.
Addressing newsmen shortly after the exercise, the president of the Association, Prince Moses Ohanebo stated that the Association deemed it necessary to enlighten their members more on the new policy of the State Government as regards payment of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by the commercial drivers.
“We want to use this awareness to urge our members to queue up in what the present administration in the state has told them. The government has said that everybody should undergo the on-going biometric registration and after that, they start paying the stipulated monthly revenue which included Shuttle bus-#25,000, big buses #30,000 respectively.
“Let everybody start paying it to enable our Governor to commence work. The payment should be made directly to the Government not to individual. We know that it would be cumbersome on our members to pay. Some have already started agitating against it, insulting us, saying that the amount is too much and we are thieves. But, it is not true. What the Governor wants is to help us.
Before, our people pay more money on daily basis but now, the Governor has reduced it to #1,000 daily. But the only difference is that it is paid in bulk. We are appealing to them to start paying first so that whatever we want to plead to the government, they would listen to us.
The President further warned drivers never to plan any protest, stating that whoever try it should be roughly handled by their Union and later hand the person over to the government for prosecution.
” Let nobody engage in any protest. If you try it, you will be dealt with. Nobody is above government order. If you cannot comply with the payment, is better you pack your vehicle in your yard. But if you insist that you will ply on government road, you must pay it.”
He further revealed that the Union executive is contemplating on pleading to the government to permit them create books for the purpose of saving money for the drivers so that it would be easy for them to meet up with the monthly payment. He also said the Union will be happy if government could adjust the method of the payment for their members.
“Some members were accusing us that we executive do not represent them well. They contended that, how could a driver who might sustain accident and admitted for months in the hospital to pay for those months or somebody who have packed his vehicle in the mechanic workshop for six months to pay for the months. Also those who might travelled to village and stay up to 2 or 3 months, how can such a people pay for those months ? What we told them was, you people should first start paying, that all the complains would be attended to”
Prince Ohanebo, noted that Governor Soludo has a bright plan to reposition the state and he needed resources to do it. He added that from Internally Generated revenue derivation, the governor would go a long way.
In their separate opinions, the General Secretary of the Association, Mr. Ifeanyi Ogbonna and Upper Iweka UDWAAS branch Chairman, Mr. Anthony Ugwube praised the government’s initiatives and urged all the drivers to comply for their own betterment.
