Plateau officials shun private business owners, give cooking contracts to girlfriends – MD

The Managing Director of the New Beach Restaurant, Jos, Plateau State, Chief Okunonke Mike, has raised the alarm over the unfriendly atmosphere being created by the government, especially in the area of double taxation.
Mike said this has continued to leave private business owners in limbo, especially with the return of democracy in Nigeria.
He also said business owners no longer enjoy government’s patronage in Plateau State, with even contracts for the supply of food taken away from them and given to their family friends and girlfriends when organizing workshops.
According to Mike, every democratic government in Plateau State has what it wants to achieve and how it wants to go about it, and that while some have been business friendly, some are unfriendly.
He said: “I remember in those days we had to cook for government agencies whenever they have seminars, but the government of the days are creating unfriendly atmosphere.”
Mike said the some government policies are not friendly to private businesses in Plateau State, which had affected their smooth operation since the inception of democracy, starting from Chief Solomon Daushep Lar to the present government of Governor Simon Bako Lalong.
He stated this in an exclusive interview with our correspondent.
Mike lamented that the Plateau State Government had refused to encourage them by patronizing them with award of minor food supply contracts to reduce poverty in the country.
He added that for workshops, the government officials give the food contract to either their wives or girlfriends, but keep coming to them for taxes .
Mike said while those of them who own businesses with physical locations are disturbed for taxes, they give those who have no shops contracts for 1,000 plates of food to supply at government meetings.
He maintained for food from the street or house, the government cannot generate revenue from such.
Mike said: “No government official walks in here to say we want so, so plates of food, but you see them having meetings and other functions everyday.
“If you do that, you are offending businessmen in the state.
“You want tax from one, you must also patronize one.”