A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Paul Ikonne, has slammed Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, accusing his administration of imposing suffocating taxes on traders in Aba and other commercial hubs of the state.
Ikonne, in a statement signed by his media aide, Dr. Ujo Justice, said the multiple levies currently imposed on traders are insensitive, exploitative, and destructive to the commercial lifeline of the South-East.
He lamented that traders at Ariaria International Market, who were paying N18,000 per shop, are now forced to cough out over N36,000 yearly.
He added that the same story of hardship is replicated in Ekeoha Shopping Centre, Timber Market, and other trading clusters in Aba.
“With more than 88,000 shops in Ariaria alone, this translates to an outrageous N3.1 billion annually. Why should Aba traders, the very heartbeat of commerce in southern Nigeria, be strangled by such reckless and selfish-driven taxation?” he queried.
Ikonne accused the Otti-led government of betraying Aba traders who were promised tax relief during the campaign season.
“Instead of providing relief, the administration is exploiting the sweat of hardworking businessmen and women,” he said.
He further faulted the government’s failure to honour the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the previous administration, which assured displaced traders of reclaiming their shops after remodelling.
“That agreement has been thrown into oblivion, leaving traders displaced, frustrated, and at the mercy of government manipulation. A people-centred administration should protect the interests of its traders, not betray them,” Ikonne stressed.
The APC chieftain also condemned the reported demand of N15 million from traders to re-acquire their shops after remodelling, branding it as an “anti-trader policy” that worsens hardship.
He pointed out that Abia State receives over N30 billion monthly in federal allocations, while local governments collect more than N100 million, funds he argued are sufficient to provide modern markets with power, potable water, fire service stations, and security without exploiting traders.
“There is no justification for squeezing Aba traders dry when the government has the financial capacity to build these markets and still provide essential infrastructure. This N15 million shop fee and N36,000 annual revenue levy are wicked, exploitative, and not in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which is designed to water the ground for the masses and ease the burden of doing business,” Ikonne declared.
He maintained that despite Abia’s huge allocations under Tinubu’s administration, excluding oil derivation funds, Aba, the state’s economic heartbeat, remains abandoned and suffocated by taxation without development.
Ikonne called on Governor Otti to immediately reverse the tax regime, respect the MoU with traders, and focus on people-oriented governance, warning that “a government that punishes Aba traders, who drive the state’s economy and feed Nigeria’s commerce, has already failed the people it claims to serve.”
