Tricycle operators in Anambra State have petitioned the State House of Assembly, seeking urgent intervention over what they describe as multiple and unauthorized levies imposed on them by individuals claiming to represent the government.
Speaking at a hearing before the House Committee on Public Petitions in Awka, Chairman of the Tricycle Riders Association, Mr. Chidozie Okafor, lamented that despite Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s directive on a fixed levy structure, operators are still being forced to make additional payments.
According to Okafor, each tricycle rider is officially required to pay a government-approved weekly levy of ₦2,000. However, in reality, they end up paying at least ₦2,400 daily to unauthorized collectors who parade as government agents. Attempts to address the issue with the Commissioner for Transport have yielded no results, forcing the operators to escalate their concerns to the legislature.
The association’s secretary, Comrade Johnson Eze, further revealed that even when the operators report these extortionists to the state’s Anti-Tout Agency, the suspects are often released within 24 hours, leaving riders vulnerable to further harassment.
A representative of the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service, appearing before the Committee, distanced the agency from those behind the multiple levies, denying any official approval for such collections. Similarly, the Commissioner for Transport, Mrs. Igwebuike, claimed ignorance of the practice but struggled to explain why her ministry had failed to curb it despite repeated complaints from the riders.
Chairman of the House Committee on Public Petitions, Mr. Obi Nweke, noted that receipts presented by the tricycle operators bore Anambra State government stamps but were linked to different local government areas, raising further concerns.
The Committee has adjourned the hearing to summon the Chairmen of the affected local governments for clarification and resolution of the matter.