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As Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State is making frantic efforts to raise the state's revenue profile, to enable it meet up with demands of development, there are individuals and groups, who seem to have deliberately sabotaged the effort.
The chairman of Electrical/Electronics Market, Nnewi, Prince Iloka Somadina, has accused a business man and contractor, Prince Chinedu Orizu; as well as the officials of Nzukora-Nnewi and the Uruagu Nnewi Development Union of collecting revenues that accrues to the state government thereby, sabotaging government efforts to raise its revenue profile.
In a press conference in Nnewi, yesterday, Prince Somadina claimed that the trio have made every effort by the market to raise revenue for Anambra government difficult, and unrealistic.
He said, "When I was appointed the chairman of the Electrical/Electronics Market, Nnewi, the market was faced with multiple challenges. One of them is that some individuals have bypassed the market leadership to collect money meant for the state government.
"Contract for the construction of the market was awarded to a business man, Prince Chinedu Orizu. The condition was that he would build the lock-up shops, sell them to traders, and then hand the market over.
"But on the contrary, after completing his assignment, Prince Orizu decided to collect all sorts of levies from traders for himself. Uruagu Nnewi Community, and Nzukora-Nnewi are also collecting revenues from the market. When I came in as chairman, Prince Orizu did not recognize me. I called his attention, and told him that the state government should be the only authority to be collecting revenues in the market; but he told me that state government has no right to collect revenues from the market. That it was the Nnewi North LGA that gave him the authority to collect levies and revenues from the market.
"He told me he was the person given the contract to build the market and manage it. I made efforts to tell him that as chairman of the market, there's nothing he would do in the market without me, but he refused. I made efforts to stop his agents from collecting levies in the market; but he brought thugs to challenge me, and they hijacked the activities of the market.
"As we speak, they are the people collecting levies in the market, and diverting same into their private pockets. They have continued to undermine my authority as chairman of the market. My lawyer wrote Prince Orizu directing him to steer clear of the market, and to stop carrying out any activity without the consent of the chairman; but he refused. So, my lawyer said we should write the state government, who has ultimate authority to call him to order.
"Prince Chinedu Orizu, Uruagu Nnewi Community and Nzukora-Nnewi have been the people collecting levies in the market. They have been undermining my authority; bringing thugs to challenge me, and threatening me. Their activities have continued to affect smooth running of the market. Their activities have been making it difficult for us to succeed in raising trader's tax from the market; because, they also incite traders against me.
"They also tell traders not to pay trader's taxes through me. Because of this, the amount I am presently remitting to state government from the market is far below what it should be. So, I call on Governor Charles Soludo, the state Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Wealth Creation and other relevant authorities to intervene."