It has become imperative to make public statement on the aberrations being foisted on citizens by most public and civil servants in the name of government which primarily, as contained in the Constitution, should protect citizens’ interests and the laws of the land.
To start with, Rights and Freedom Advocates (RIFA) have observed with dismay anarchy being instigated by most Ministries, Departments and Agencies in Ogun State in flagrant disregard to extant laws.
The virus of illegality spearheaded by the State government has now become envy for the local government to the extent touts now parade themselves as revenue consultants to local government. Only illiterates or semi-literates would pay into wrong hands of fraudsters.
According to law, taxes and levies are to be paid into government purse or designated staff for the government receipt in the payer’s name (Section 40 of Personal Income Tax Act)
It would be recalled that despite Section 37 of the Nigeria Constitution that privacy of citizens is protected ditto to paragraph 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) which provides that “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation.”, Ogun State agencies such as Ogun State Internal Revenue Service have chosen bizarre actions as the order of the day.
No wonder, its officials have decided to be robbing citizens of their properties including bikes and sold same while in some instance they sold parts of such bikes whose owners were robbed by its emissaries.
This is apart from number plates which is strictly to be issued by a State Internal Revenue Service being part of road taxes stipulated in Taxes and levies (Approved list for collection) Act, 2004 as collectible by the assigned state agency and not other agency not to talk of allowing private entities tamper with citizens confidential data. In the case of number plates, OGIRS agents collect money from people for months and in some cases years without number plate while in some instances particulars are not available till they expire. In fact, in some situations, when bike particulars issued by those agents expired and are to be renewed, it would be discovered the details are not on the database of the Revenue Service forcing the owners to waste money for another registration if only they are not exploited by security agents for having no/fake particulars. In fact, in a particular case a resident of Abeokuta was allocated details of an Ijebu Ode resident in his bike particulars, courtesy of touts engaged in the registration of number plates.
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To worsen the situation, the rider licence which is supposed to be issued to riders in Ogun State by Vehicle Inspection Office of Ministry of Transportation has been purportedly outsourced to another private organization or better still touts.
Why are Ogun State politicians usually against the government they purportedly serving? Actually, it is either the public officials are semi-literates or driven by sheer ignorance that they take rider identification scheme as rider permit. In any case, no one other than assigned public institution should have anything to do with collection, processing, storage, retrieval and transmission of personal data meant for periodic renewal except in a society where anarchy reigns supreme. Road traffic Regulation 2012 is very clear, no one has the right to issue rider licence except the assigned agency as any licence issued in contravention of the regulation shall be invalid and void (Section 44 of Road Traffic regulations,2012).
Therefore, the Ogun State Government should dislodge COMORIS touts disturbing residents on the roads in the State in the name of riders’ permit except the State government want to confirm to the public that it has been behind stealing and robbery spree of bikes and vehicles by men of under-world who might have obtained confidential information of citizens while working with touts engaged in management of personal data of residents.
Most civil servants have become redundant because their core tasks have been outsourced by politicians to their cronies to defraud the government. On this RIFA say no, Ogun government must stop the intruders and anarchists from raping the laws. RIFA say no to OGEPA emission sticker and Rider’s permit not issued by VIO or OGIRS.
Similarly, recently some touts started mounting road blocks on Ogun roads in the name of OGEPA emission sticker against extant law which provides that no one including tax authority should mount road blocks in the name of collecting tax or levy due to any government.
Section 1 of Taxes and Levies (Approved list for collection) Act, 2004. It provides in Section (2) No person, including a tax authority, shall mount a road block in any part of the Federation for the purpose of collecting any tax or levy.3. A person who –(a) collects or levies any tax or levy; or (b) mounts a road block or causes a road block to be mounted for the purpose of collecting any tax or levy, in contravention of section 2 of this Act, is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of N50,000 or imprisonment for 3 years or to both such fine and imprisonment”
In the same vein, in order to rob Ifo Local government residents, a private organization tagged A & B Jihmarta Nig Ltd owned by Odebiyi family of Ifo local government introduced daily tickets in Ifo in late 2024.
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That is another extortion. Unfortunately, the extortionists called themselves investors as if that is an industry where goods are produced if not to complicate economic hardship on the people. Please is Ogun State not becoming a Banana republic that anyone can just impose anything contrary to laws of the land? The worst has not yet come as the Ogun State Community Social Orientation and Safety Corps (So-Safe Corps) is being advertised again in some radio stations in the State as introducing another daily extortion of N200.
Why is Ogun State now full of armed robbers in public service? When in 2017 SO-SAFE was to be recognized, citizens did not know another oppressor is in the making. There is no where in the world where daily ticket is allowed because it is repugnant to normal sense and natural justice.
Therefore, SO-SAFE extortion called daily ticket and other forms of daily ticket has no legal backing and should stop with immediate effect before Nigerians react. Or have they forgotten experience of October 2020?
Those who still extort people in the name of emission sticker should vacate public roads the same way government outsourcing of revenue collection meant for civil servants must abide by laws and stop defrauding the government through systematic diversionary approach of government fund to cronies.
Stakeholders should start suing local government officials who engage in any illegality as there is no any immunity for local government chairmen. All of us must join hands to liberate our societies from oppressors. The touts engaged by some local governments to track traffic offenders other than wrong packing have crossed their boundary as helmet check, driver or rider’s licence is meant for state and federal traffic officials.
Therefore, councilors in Abeokuta South local government deserve commendation for stopping fraudsters hitherto oppressing citizens in the name of dubious traffic offences which they lack power to enforce. Those criminal gangs should not be allowed to return to roads except their ruthlessness is to be restored as they have criminally robbed and maimed more innocent people than real offenders.
Only God saved the state from witnessing ethnic clash due to hostile and nepotistic displays of those boys.
On the above abnormalities, RIFA wrote the governor of Ogun State; Prince Dapo Abiodun CON and other authorities to help restore orderliness by checking the excesses of touts on Ogun roads.
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Also, RIFA call on the Governor to prevail on the OGIRS which has become haven for hijacking of public bikes as well as halt dubious COMORIS rider identification being erroneously called rider’s permit. The advocates shall continue being the voice of the oppressed as we urge residents to remain calm while authorities resolve issues raised. He who makes peace impossible makes violence inevitable. Let all strive for orderliness.
Luqman Soliu
President,
Rights and Freedom Advocates (RIFA)
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