The Lagos State Government has reduced the daily fee paid by commercial bus drivers from N3000 to N800 in an effort to clean up the transportation sector.
This was stated by the Commissioner for Finance, Dr Rabiu Olowo, at an Inter-Ministerial press briefing in Alausa, Ikeja, on Tuesday.
According to Olowo, this mission would begin on February 1, 2022, with the goal of harmonising the informal transportation industry while ensuring the state government’s checks and balances.
Mr Toyin Fayinka, Special Adviser to the State Governor on Transportation, and Mr David Kolade and Mr Razaq Ajala, Chairman and Secretary of Conference of 57, respectively, were among those in attendance.
Others were the Chairman of the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, LIRS, Mr Ayodele Subair, MD of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, Mr Ibrahim Odumboni of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, and Musilihu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo.
The Commissioner went on to say that the government’s top focus was the well-being of Lagosians.
“Mr Governor has made it a priority to put the interest of Lagosians first that is why we all the stakeholders are here today. Before we came out, we have fought, disagreed, and agreed on the need to have our consolidated informal transport sector levy.
“The government of Babajide Sanwo-Olu has inspired that we all come together to have a consolidated levy that takes care of personal income taxes, dues on environment Local Government levy and others. We want to reduce the multiplicity of collection taxes, dues, and levies.”
“We want to harmonize, to have a single charge of N800. We want to moderate the fee payable to Government. This is a very insightful breakthrough for all those who do business within the informal transport sector in the state,” Olowo stated.
In his remark, Mr Toyin Fayinka, Special Adviser to the State Governor on Transportation, explained that any levy paid in a given Local Government Area covers the daily levies and charges.
“A bus driver from Badagry having paid N800 to Badagry local government and going to Mile 2, won’t pay again to Ojo local government. The payment of point of departure takes care of the daily levy and other charges by the government,” Fayinka stated.
In contrast, the Lagos State Chairman of the NURTW, Musilihu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo, stated that“the N800 only cover all the money collected by the MDAs and that it did not affect the NURTW ticket.”
