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Author: McStanford Nwogu
Posted to the web: 8/19/2008 11:34:38 AM

'EKO O' NI BAJE OO'. THIS IS A POPULAR SLOGAN WAVING THE RADIO AND TV STATIONS IN LAGOS STATE, THIS SAYING HAS BEEN ON FOR LONG, BUT BECAME VERY COMMON SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE NEW REGIME IN LAGOS. OVER THE YEARS WE WERE MADE TO BELIEVE THAT AN AVERAGE LAGOSIAN DOES NOT PAY TAX. PLEASE WE WANT TO KNOW, WHAT MEASUREMENT IS USED TO ASCERTAIN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT PAY AND DO NOT PAY TAXES IN LAGOS?THE WORST THING THAT WOULD HAPPEN TO ANY GOVERNMENT IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD IS DECEIT, THE PEOPLE EXPECT THE TRUTH AND ONLY THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH FROM THE GOVERNMENT, WHEN IT DOESN'T COME THERE IS LOST OF CONFIDENCE AND GRUDGES FROM THE CITIZENS, THAT GOVERNMENT IS DEAD. I DON'T WANT TO USE THIS PHRASE TO DESCRIBE THE PRESENT GOVERNANCE OF LAGOS STATE BECAUSE WHAT I'M GOING TO REVEAL HERE DID NOT START FROM THIS PRESENT REGIME BUT I AM VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN IT HERE BECAUSE THE HELM OF LEADERSHIP OF THIS PRESENT REGIME IS A WELL LEARNED PERSON OF GOOD REPUTE WITH AGE ON HIS SIDE, SO IT'S EXPECTED THAT HE OUGHT TO LOOK INTO THE PRESENT SITUATION OF THINGS IN LAGOS SINCE THE ASSUMPTION OF OFFICE AND THE MEASURES INCOME IS BEING GENERATED FOR THE STATE IF ACTUALLY WE ARE STILL NOT LIVING UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE PREVIOUS REGIME.BECAUSE OF THE TEMPOLARY CLOSURE OF 3RD MAINLAND BRIDGE, I SHUTTLED WITHIN LAGOS IN THE DANFOS OVER THE WEEKEND AND IT WAS A PATHETIC STORY WHAT THE DANFO AND BIKE RIDERS SUFFER IN THE HANDS OF THE TOUTS 'AGBE 'OWO' ON THE ROAD. THE TOUTS HAVE TURNED ALMOST EVERY 500 METERS INTO A BUS STOP COLLECTING MONEY AND NOTHING LESS THAN 50 AND 100 NAIRA AT EACH POINT. PLEASE THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF LAGOS, WITH DUE RESPECT TO YOU SIR, ARE YOU AWARE OF THESE COLLECTION POINTS IN LAGOS AND WE HAVE BEEN SHOUTING THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT PAYING TAXES IN LAGOS? PLEASE SIR, THE TRUTH IS THAT THESE BUS DRIVERS PAY MORE TAXES THAN THEIR INCOME AND THE COMUTERS TOO. IN ORDER TO RECUPE THEIR MONEY, THE PITTIABLE CONDUCTORS WILL TRY TO INCREASE THEIR FARE BY ANY NAIRA, THE COMUTERS WOULD HAVE PAID MORE THAN USUAL TO THE CONDUCTORS WHO IN TURN PAY MORE THAN WHAT INCREAMENT THEY HAD ON THE COMUTERS TO THE TOUTS WHO PAY TO GOD KNOWS WHO........AND EVERY DAY WE KEEP HEARING PAY YOUR TAXES....THE ADVERSE EFFECT OF THIS IS THAT YOU NOW SEE DRIVERS WHO HAVE BEEN PROVOCATED, IN ORDER TO MAKE MORE MONEY TO COVER THEIR EXPENSES DRIVE AGAINST TRAFFIC RULES, THE SAME GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AS MULTIPLE AS THEY ARE IN LAGOS STATE WOULD HALT AND EMPOUND THEIR BUSES, CHARGE THEM FOR DRIVING AGAIST TRAFFIC, ASK THEM FOR TAX CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE, TAKE THEM FOR PSYCHATRIC EXAMINATION. SIR WHY WON'T THEY BE MAD WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN PROVOKED TO MADNESS? WHY WOULD ANYONE ASK THEM FOR TAX CLEARANCE WHEN THEY HAVE OVER PAID AND SOME ONE REFUSES TO GIVE THEM CERTIFICATE? WHY WOULD WE NOT HAVE BUSSES THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SCRAPPED OFF FULL ALL LAGOS ROUTES WHEN THEIR OWNERS AND DRIVERS SPEND MOST OF THEIR RETURNS IN MISTORY TAXES?SIR, IF THE RETURNS ARE NOT COMING INTO GOVERNMENT PURSE, THE INTERPRETATION IS THAT YOU HAVE TOUTS WHO HAVE BEEN STOLEN THE GOVERNMENT MONEY FOR MANY YEARS, AND THEY SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF THE ROUTES SO THAT THE PEOPLE CAN PAY THEIR NORMAL TAXES THAT CAN ENTER THE GOVERNMENT PURSE. SIR IF YOU SPEND BILLIONS OF NAIRA TODAY TO EXPAND THE PRISON YARDS AND TAKE THESE TOUTS THEIR, THEY WOULD LEARN ONE OR TWO CRAFTS AND BECOME USEFUL TO THE SOCEITY, AND I BET YOU WHATEVER YOU SPEND TO REHABLITATE THEM, THE STATE WOULD RECUPE IT IN LESS THAN ONE YEAR FROM THE RIGHT SOURCES AS TAXES FROM THE DANFO AND OKADA RIDERS ON THE ROAD. IT'S NOT DIFFICULT, WE CAN USE THE FILLING STATIONS TO ACHEIVE THIS, THEY CAN BE COLLECTING THE TICKETS FROM FILLING STATIONS WHERE THEY BUY GASSOLINE DAILY, THEY CAN BE CATEGORIZED, OKADA, CAB, DANFO, MOLUE, AND SO ON, THAT WAY WE WOULD HAVE BROUGHT SANITY TO LAGOS ROUTES, I BET YOU THESE DRIVERS WOULD COMPLY WITH JOY. LITTLE SEMINAR THEY WOULD STOP THEIR RECLESS DRIVING SINCE THERE WON'T BE ANY TOUT PROVOKING THEM ON THE ROAD.LET US TELL OURSELVES THE TRUTH AND MAKE THINGS WORK POSITIVELY.EKO O NI BAJE OOOOOO