The executives of Forum Mobilev Advert Practitioners of Nigeria on Thursday finalized an investigation and complaint visit to the Abia state Board of Internal Revenue to fact check a claimed suffocating taxation method enforced by a tax contractor, Azubuike Erondu Ihuoma popularly known as Mopol.
The visitors said they were in Abia state to present their complains on the harsh treatment constantly received from Erondu and his men via massive extortion in disguise of revenue collection for Abia state government.
The visitors who met Governor Okezie Ikpeazu on the matter also met the Chairman of the Board of Internal Revenue, Mr Celestine Boyle Agbara and management team. The general consultant of the state Sir Mac Atasie, was also visited likewise the general heads of enforcement of all transport ticket in Abia, Comrade Young Ugochukwu, Luke Michael and Mr Paul.
The president of the levy forum, Otunba Mike Osimen Eboeziegbe, in a press conference in Umuahia, Abia state said they seek a way forward for their members and to know why members are being harassed and their goods allowed to spoil as their trucks are impounded for more than two weeks.
The president of the forum also laments high-handedness and fragrant disregard to extant taxes and levies laws as it relates to the laws and administration of revenue laws of the federal republic of Nigeria which he said Erondu has fault while working for Abia state government.
In his words; “We have been at loggerheads with the cabal of extortionists in Abia State, most notably one Azubuike Erondu Ihuoma known as Mopol over emblems, ASPIMSS and all other sorts of road charges. This has lasted for the past two to three years. We have reported to police in zone 9 and Abuja and also to the Deputy Governor of Abia State Rt. Hon Sir Ude okochukwu.
“Some of our members have been in court with this Mopol because of the charges and treatment he hands to transporters from every part of Nigeria coming to Abia. Transportation to Abia is today expensive due to the treatment Mopol and his gang give to our people.”
The visitors who described Erondu and his team as nightmare also expressed excitement that reaching Abia state, they found out that Erondu has been relived of the responsibility of collecting tax for Abia state government while also expressing satisfaction for the introduction of E-ticket for commercial vehicle drivers.
“Our people who visited Abia were excited using E-ticket and E-emblems and it is the first of its kind in Nigeria. We are very happy about it and praise the State for it.
“We are also aware of the new revenue law in Abia, that streamlines what commercial transporters pay, but it has been one sad experience after another because our members are forced to pay what is not in the Abia law which Mopol claims was sold by him by some agency. The worst is that the State has started serious enforcement, our members are yet again being arrested by ABiRS agents because 90% of all emblems sold to our members by Azubuike Erondu Ihuoma are not uploaded in the state E-emblem platform meaning that he did not remit the monies to the State. These are as good as fake and thus can’t be verified by enforcers and so our members are still paying afresh or will have themselves restricted from entering the state,
“This situation has created so much discomforts, pain and loses to transporters and their customers, indeed he is known to hold trucks with perishable goods for two weeks before releasing. Between 2019 and now this has been a running battle between transporters and this gangs.
Mopol himself charges between N35,000 and N200,000 per vehicle. Curiously, not even intervention of state officials or zone 9 would lead to any change in his actions. He boldly boasts that he is in collusion with high officials of all arms of the State Government hence cannot be stopped,
“He has been a true nightmare to us, our customers and passengers.”
After the visit, the visitors came up with the following resolutions;
1, our visit was very successful.
2, The Government on sighting the various papers sold our members by Mopol the Governor requested that we official send him a petition to enable him take action, he condemned this and gave the Board of internal revenue chairman his full endorsement of all action they are taking,and asked the revenue collecting body and with law enforcement agencies to take necessary action.
3, He reaffirmed that the rate of 5,500 is what the state sells hence other charges above are criminal and must be treated as such. He personally directed us to hold this press conference this morning and tell the public our worries and the outcome of our visit.
“As members we are going to resist any further attempt by Mopol or any other group of persons, who harass our member who pass through Umaro or any other part of Abia, we do this by engaging the law enforcement authorities and by retaliation which is not the best to anybody.
“We want to applaud the BIR for technologies for road transport taxes and their efforts to sanitize collection on the road. They eliminated the use of paper and made it difficult to divert any Government funds.
“We are happy to be at peace with the Abia state Government in their bid to collect road taxes across Nigeria, we look forward to a more wonderful relationship with Abia.
We now know the road taxes called ASPIMSS Emblem is not a legitimate road tax, our members should no longer be charged for road taxes that goes beyond E-emblem and daily e-tickets as all other emblems are inside the E-emblem of Abia state.”
See Full Press Release Below; 👇
FORUM MANAGEMENT VISIT TO THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF ABIA STATE
This press conference arises from the visit of the President of forum of mobilev advert practitioners of Nigeria Otunba mike osimen Eboeziegbe who was accompanied By the Executive Director chief Richard Obeto, the Director General Andrew Oare, the Abia state forum members led by Mrs Uju Azubike and the Ebonyi coodinator chief Afudike to Abia State for fact check and solution to high-handedness and fragrant disregard to extant taxes and levies laws as it relates to the laws and administration of revenue laws of the federal republic of Nigeria to members of forum nationwide, local and states government revenue consultants and cooperate bodies whenever their vehicles registered in other state crisscrossing or coming into Abia state.
We came to Umuahia to seek a way forward for our members, to know why our members are being harassed, goods spoiled and trucks impounded for more than two weeks and to confirm the body incharge for the collections of E-emblems and other transport revenues. This is all in a bid to avoid the incessant and intimidation our people are getting for which Abia has unfortunately gained notoriety.
The road transporters are our members and We assist to create Harmony between transporters and the Government both at the center and the States.
We have been at loggerheads with the cabal of extortionists in Abia State, most notably one Azubuike Erondu Ihuoma known as Mopol over emblems, Aspimss and all other sorts of road charges. This has lasted for the past two to three years. We have reported to police in zone 9 and Abuja and also to the Deputy Governor of Abia State Rt. Hon Sir Ude okochukwu.
Some of our members have been in court with this Mopol because of the charges and treatment he hands to transporters from every part of Nigeria coming to Abia. Transportation to Abia is today expensive due to the treatment Mopol and his gang give to our people.
In early this year we got notification that his company will no longer assist Abia in collecting taxes covering emblems.
Our people who visited Abia were excited using E-ticket and E-emblems and it is the first of its kind in Nigeria. We are very happy about it and praise the State for it.
We are also aware of the new revenue law in Abia, that streamlines what commercial transporters pay, but it has been one sad experience after another because our members are forced to pay what is not in the Abia law which Mopol claims was sold by him by some agency. The worst is that the State has started serious enforcement, our members are yet again being arrested by ABiRS agents because 90% of all emblems sold to our members by Azubuike Erondu Ihuoma are not uploaded in the state E-emblem platform meaning that he did not remit the monies to the State. These are as good as fake and thus can’t be verified by enforcers and so our members are still paying afresh or will have themselves restricted from entering the state.
This situation has created so much discomforts, pain and loses to transporters and their customers, indeed he is known to hold trucks with perishable goods for two weeks before releasing. Between 2019 and now this has been a running battle between transporters and this gangs. Mopol himself charges between N35,000 and N200,000 per vehicle. Curiously, not even intervention of state officials or zone 9 would lead to any change in his actions. He boldly boasts that he is in collusion with high officials of all arms of the State Government hence cannot be stopped.
He has been a true nightmare to us, our customers and passengers.
So when we got a letter stating that he was no longer responsible for selling emblems we decide to pay an official visit to the State and lodge our complains once again and to confirm that he was indeed no longer responsible and if so, invite the State to partner with us so that we in turn shall sell their E-emblems to other parts of Nigeria. Our objective is to improve the experience road users pass through in Abia, which sadly has been very brutish as the fear of Mopol is a reality.
In summary we met the Governor and we are very glad he gave us audience, we met Chairman of the board of internal revenue Mr Celestine Boyle Agbara and management team, we also met with the general consultant of the state Sir Mac Atasie, we also met with general heads of enforcement of all transport ticket in Abia Comrade Young Ugochukwu, Luke Michael and Mr Paul.
We are glad to state as follows:
1, our visit was very successful.
2, The Government on sighting the various papers sold our members by Mopol the Governor requested that we official send him a petition to enable him take action, he condemned this and gave the Board of internal revenue chairman his full endorsement of all action they are taking,and asked the revenue collecting body and with law enforcement agencies to take necessary action.
3, He reaffirmed that the rate of 5,500 is what the state sells hence other charges above are criminal and must be treated as such. He personally directed us to hold this press conference this morning and tell the public our worries and the outcome of our visit.
As members we are going to resist any further attempt by Mopol or any other group of persons, who harass our member who pass through Umaro or any other part of Abia, we do this by engaging the law enforcement authorities and by retaliation which is not the best to anybody.
We want to applaud the BIR for technologies for road transport taxes and their efforts to sanitize collection on the road. They eliminated the use of paper and made it difficult to divert any Government funds.
We are happy to be at peace with the Abia state Government in their bid to collect road taxes across Nigeria, we look forward to a more wonderful relationship with Abia.
We now know the road taxes called Aspimss Emblem is not a legitimate road tax, our members should no longer be charged for road taxes that goes beyond E-emblem and daily e-tickets as all other emblems are inside the E-emblem of Abia state.
signed;
Otunba Mike osimen
Andrew Oare
Richard Eimiana
Uju Azubuike
Afudike Uchechukwu.
For Exco and members of forum group for road taxes.