The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has flagged-off the Harmonisation of Haulage Revenue Collection System towards eradicating multiplicity in haulage revenue collection in the state.
Speaking at the ceremony in Abeokuta on Monday, Amosun said it is an improvement on the Haulage Revenue Collection Scheme aimed at correcting the hitherto haphazard scheme, which allowed unscrupulous individuals to extort money from payers without remitting same to the government coffers.
Regretting that haulage drivers have been groaning under multiple collection that they have been subjected to, he said: “It is important to note that haulage collection should ordinarily come under the purview of the Civil Service Structure.
“But we decided to contract the collection to our people.
“Our aim was to create more openings, through which we could empower more people.
“But I must confess that our intervention was grossly misconstrued and largely abused by majority of the participants.
“We found out that a large chunk of generated revenue was not remitted to government and some of the operators have gone beyond the brief of the delegated authority.
“As a government, we cannot allow such abuse which has led to major revenue loss and extortion of our people.”
The new scheme, according to the governor, has adequately addressed the different lapses that were the challenges in the former policies.
Amosun stated further stated that the new policy document, will block revenue leakages; prevent touting at the various Toll Points/Control Posts; Increase the state’s revenue, coming from the sector; and ensure compliance with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, that the illegal road blocks be dismantled throughout the federation.
In his welcome address, the state Commissioner for Finance, Wale Oshinowo, said the government’s decision is to relieve the haulage revenue payers of the difficulty and harassments they are being subjected to on daily basis.
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