Anambra NULGE blows hot, kicks against hijack of revenue windows

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Anambra State, has charged the 21 local councils in the state to end decades of hijacking revenue meant for the third tier, which successive state governors have taken over, saying all revenue meant for the councils henceforth be reverted to the local councils.

The State President, NULGE, Comrade Chikwelu Adigwe, speaking in a forum where NULGE representatives from the 21 local council were present, directed all local councils to take over immediately and embark on harnessing the due revenue from the public, warning that any member of the public, who pays fees, licenses and dues accruable to the local council to the state government should be ready to repay to the local council or face prosecution.

He advised local council transition committee chairmen and members conniving with the state government revenue contractors/agents to defraud their councils to desist.
He announced the termination of previous “gentleman agreements” between the state government and the councils on revenue generation on grounds of abysmal failure of the state government to fulfill her part of the deal.

According to him, it has become illegal collecting exploitative and arbitrary levies, fees and licenses from the public without appropriate legislation by the state house of assembly.

He accused the state government of collecting and contracting local government revenue windows in such manner that the local councils can no longer perform their basic duties effectively and efficiently, thus demoralising the bulk of the staff.

According to him, the abuses in local council revenue generation and disbursement have been on for over a decade. The affected revenue windows, he mentioned, included market stall fees, property rate, environmental sanitation levy, motor vehicle emblem, open air advertisement fee and motor park tolls.

Adigwe lamented that for over a decade, the state government has not lived up to her agreement of remitting the local council share of collected revenue, even in the face of exorbitant levy, over and above what is obtainable in the revenue tariffs in the various local councils.

He classified the revenue windows to include liquor license fees, restaurant license, private park fees, minor industries/artisans fees, telecommunication mast fee, community/capitation rate, shops/kiosks fees, barrow/truck license, daily market toll and street naming/numbering. (The Guardian)