Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has suspended collection of all forms of levies in all the markets across the state.
Abiodun said only development and environmental levies will be allowed, as they are meant for the development of markets in the state.
The governor who made the order on Thursday also disclosed plans by his administration to introduce a price control mechanism in the state.
All theses new measures , the governor explained were introduced to moderate the prices of foodstuffs and other items in all open markets.
The governor made the announcement during a meeting with market leaders led by the Iyaloja General, Chief (Mrs.) Yemisi Abass, at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
He said government would soon commence sale of bulk food items directly to members of the public through the state owned
Bulk Purchasing Company, which has now been renamed Gateway Trading Company.
According to Abiodun, the aim is to control the rising costs of food items across the state.
He, however said the operations of the Gateway Trading Company would, in the first instance, begin four zones of the state.
“We’ve also resolved that we will begin the implementation of Bulk Purchase and Selling in the state.
“To that extent, the state government has rebranded our Bulk Purchase Company. It is now called Gateway Trading Board.
“Gateway Trading will now assist in bringing food items to our teeming public at prices that will be significantly below what they can obtain when they go to the market themselves.
“So, we are going to aggressively implement our Gateway Trading objectives.
“They will first start in the four zones; they will buy in bulk and resell at prices that will be more affordable to our people,” he said.
On the banning of collection of levies in market, the governor said a Task Force On Enforcement of the ban will soon be established.
He said that establishment of the task force will be replicated
in all the 20 ocal government areas of the state.
Abiodun added that all forms of coercion and intimidation by touts and other people who add no value to markets across the state will be stamped out.
Governor Abiodun further noted that anyone caught collecting illegal fees in markets across the state will face the full wrath of the law.
He promised to ensure that all exorbitant and unbearable shop and stall rents imposed on market men and women are stopped.
He said: “A few things have been identified by way of illegal taxes that are being imposed right there in the market; loading taxes, discharge taxes, offloading taxes, and illegal levies in the name of different people. From now on, we are putting a ban on such illegal levies in any market in Ogun State.
“The only levies that will be allowed are what they call the Development Levy and the Environmental Levy.
“Those are levies that are associated with the upkeep of the market, and even those will have to be agreed upon and made public.
“We also identified that there are people who add no value to food items coming from the farm to markets.
“They either, by coercion or intimidation, accost farmers and force them to sell at inflated prices.
“We have resolved here that we are going to have a market enforcement task force; there will be a central body here in the state.
“That central body will be mirrored in each local government.
“Their job will be to ensure that all illegal levies, coercion, and intimidation by different people do not occur again.
“This is not the time for anyone to take advantage of another person.
“We are going through a transition period; we should be our brother’s keeper, considerate, and humane.
“The Iyaloja gave us the example where a basket of tomatoes is selling for N3,500, while some transporters want to charge N7,000 for transportation.
“The transportation cost is even much more than the cost of the tomatoes themselves.
“This will no longer happen in Ogun State. We are resolved to ensure that we stamp this out of Ogun State because we want to make this period as painless as possible.
“We also talked about the illegal levies and roadblocks that market men and women are subjected to paying at different points, like toll gates.
“I have said that I was going to look into this, and that is why we have our law enforcement agencies here to ensure that all those illegal roadblocks and tollgates are removed.
“Any person found collecting money illegally by way of tolls will be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law; we are not going to tolerate any of these illegalities.
“It was brought to my attention that in some local government areas of the state, developers are brought in to develop their shops and stalls, and when they do so, because they are developers and entrepreneurs whose objective is to make money, they impose unbearable rents on our market men and women.
“I promised to look into it and ensure that it stops forthwith,” he said.
Governor Abiodun noted that his administration would be providing support in the form of grants, loans, and farm implements to different farmers’ associations in the state.
“We will also assist our market men and women by way of very low-interest loans, which we are already working on.
“We have an Ogun Empowerment Scheme that is being finalized by the Ministries of Industry, Trade and Investment, and Women Affairs, which is geared towards providing single-digit loans or grants, as the case may be, particularly for our informal sector, the market women,” he said.
The Governor said that the Ministry of Environment, Ogun State Waste Management Agency, and the Ministry of Women Affairs will work together to ensure the effective management of waste in markets across the state, charging the agencies to ensure that dumpsters are readily available at the markets and picked up regularly.
In her remarks, the President of Market Women and Men in the State and Iyaloja of Yewaland, Chief Yemisi Abass, commended Governor Abiodun for deeming it fit to call market leaders together to deliberate on how to make life more bearable for the people of the state.
She disclosed that they are happy with all the resolutions reached at the meeting. (vitalnewsngr.com)
