Abuja delivery van operators have appealed to the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike to abolish state and haulage permits for motorists in the FCT because they have no constitutional backing. They said abolishing them would alleviate drivers’ financial stress and restore order on Abuja’s roads.
The FCT chairman of the Abuja delivery van, Lawal Abdullahi, who made the call in a press briefing yesterday, said that they were bringing to the attention of the FCT minister that two separate and conflicting permits are being sold to drivers by two departments under the FCT Administration. He said two different approvals from the same administration lead to confusion and unnecessary financial burdens.
Abdullahi said that the Department of Outdoor Advertising and Signage (DOAS) and the FCT Transportation Secretariat have each employed consultants to sell different permits which they called the State Permit and the Haulage Permit.
“This situation has become untenable and requires the immediate intervention of the Honourable Minister because the unsuspecting public is falling prey to these illegalities.
“Recently, Abuja drivers have been forced to purchase both permits, with costs ranging from N35,000 to N50,000, depending on who is selling the paper. Better still, these two departments do not acknowledge each other’s permits as their illegal enforcement team discredit each other,” he said.
He lamented that this has left taxpayers in a dilemma, unsure of which permit is valid, saying that legal opinions have confirmed that there is no legal or constitutional basis for these payments being demanded by illegal consultants engaged by both the FCT Transportation Secretariat and DOAS.
“These bodies are not authorized revenue collection agencies. Furthermore, the consultants collecting the fees-tagged ‘Wike’s Documents’ do not appear to have any legitimate ties to the FCT Administration, yet they continue to swindle Abuja drivers of the earned income.
“To add to the frustration, when taxpayers request to make payments into a government account, the consultants insist on collecting cash, thereby fueling suspicions on the actual destination of the money,” he said.
The chairman appealed to the minister to investigate and bring to book those using his name to extort money illegally from Abuja drivers, and that such extortion and those behind it should be prosecuted while refund should be made to the government coffer.