RAYMOND OZOJI reports
Tipper Drivers in Anambra State have decided to withdraw their services indefinitely beginning from Tuesday the 5th of November 2024 following what they termed undue escalation of prices of white sand by sand miners in Anambra and Delta States respectively.
They also accused the Mayors of Ogbaru and Onitsha-South Local Governments of using touts with matchets and other weapons to exploit and extort obnoxious taxes from them.
Speaking to HEADLINE NEWS on the strike action, Comrade Ebuka Unekwe, chairman of the Onitsha zone Tipper Association, said sand miners now increase prices of sand indiscriminately such that the price increase is done at every trip of sand bought by the tipper drivers.
Unekwe maintained that the sand miners gave reasons for the increase in prices of sand, saying it is a result of the heavy taxation heaped on them by the Anambra State Government.
Unekwe explained that formerly a trip of sand for small tipper is sold for N13,000 only while big tipper is N25,000. That a trip of sand with double-tipper was N50,000.
But according to him, currently the price range for each of the tippers have skyrocketed such that a trip of sand for small tipper is now sold for N45,000, double-tipper N90,000 and a trip of sand for 10-tyre tipper is now sold for N170,000 respectively, stressing that prices are excruciatingly difficult for them to afford.
Apart from the horrible experience with sand miners, the Onitsha zone chairman of Tipper Association alleged that Ogbaru Local Government Chairman and the President-General of Atani Community have both insisted that Tipper owners must pay them IGR for carrying sand in the area and if they attempted to resist such, Unekwe maintained that both the Mayor and PG unleashed touts with weapons on them to compel them to cough out the IGR.
He therefore wondered why tipper drivers would pay IGR to the State Government and still pay to the Local Government and PGs, alleging that the touts unleashed by the Ogbaru Mayor and PG Atani carry matchets and other harmful objects working with Atani security to unleash terror and mayhem on tipper drivers.
He said they had to shut down operations at Atani due to the molestations of their members by hired thugs and to avert killing their members.
He also pointed out that tipper drivers face the same harrowing experience in Onitsha-South Local Government Area where Ebuka Unekwe alleged that the Council Mayor also hired touts backed by security agents to compel them to pay obnoxious taxes for carrying sand from Niger street by Ugo foam as any form of resistance amounted to brutalization of tipper drivers and destruction of their vehicle tyres.
He therefore called on Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo to consider their plights and ordeals, saying that they could no longer cope with the situation hence the strike action embarked upon.
Another tipper driver who operates from Nnewi and identified himself as Arinze Ulasi said that PG Atani one Arinze Nzelu wrote to the DPO Atani, the Area Commander Atani and to the Ministry, alleging that tipper drivers carry overload and any tipper found with such will pay a fine of N100,000 even when they covered their tippers with tapolin as directed by the state government.
Apart from that, Ulasi disclosed that security operatives at Atani junction always beat up their members if they refused to pay N1000 tax imposed on them by the powers that be in the area.
He said another problematic issue was the issue of incessant increase in the prices of sand in Onitsha and Asaba. That every now and then, prices increased either by N10,000 or N20,000 as sand dealers say price increase is as a result of the flood disaster. That rather than become bankrupt, they decided to withdraw their services in the interim until the flood receded.
According to Ulasi, prices of building materials have increased in Anambra State due to the unwholesome activities of sand miners as he stated that now a trip of sand for small tipper is N110,000, big tipper is N400,000 and 10-tyre tipper is N300,000.
Also, another tipper driver from Nnewi who gave his name as Sunday Erigbara, corroborated what his colleagues said about astronomical increase in the price of sand, saying that sand miners now escalated prices of sand ruthlessly.
Erigbara emphasized that they used to buy sand at N50,000 but presently the one of N50,000 is now sold for N150,000 as sand miners, according to him, kept increasing prices by N10,000 or N20,000 on every trip.
Although he said they were not against the increase in prices as every business would want to make profit but the agreement they had with sand miners was that they should be given at least two weeks notice before any price increase.
The tipper driver who stated that the strike action would continue until there is a remarkable change in the status quo, noted that their experience with touts disguised as government tax agents is a very horrible experience as they encountered all manner of molestations, harassments and brutality in the hands of the touts whom he said are hirelings of local government chairmen and other government officials.
Efforts to speak to the Ogbaru Local Government Chairman on the allegation of using touts and security agents to extort money from tipper drivers as local government tax was unsuccessful as at the time of writing this report because his number was not reachable as at 4:17pm Tuesday evening.
When contacted the Onitsha-South council chairman insisted that the reporter should come to his office for his response as he can't speak to him on the phone because he doesn't know who he is speaking with even though the reporter introduced himself properly.
Although the President-General of Atani community in Ogbaru Local Government Area denied the allegations levelled against him by one of the tipper drivers named Arinze Ulasi, saying that no tipper driver is being molested or forced to pay obnoxious taxes even as he threatened to sue his accuser to court for character assassination.
##
0 Comments