Rivers Set To Enforce Social Service Levy …As Court Strikes Out Suit

A Port Harcourt High Court yesterday struck out a suit challenging the existence of the Rivers State Social Services Contributory Levy Law, 2010, which permits the state government to collect special taxes and levies for the maintenance of public infrastructure in the state.

A human rights group, the Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (IHRHL) had in October 2010, barely one month after Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi signed the bill into law, gone to court, asking it to determine whether the state government had the right to collect extra taxes and levies that are not part of the approved list of taxes and levies for collection.

Joined as defendants in the suit were the Attorney-General of Rivers State, the Rivers State House of Assembly, and the Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue.

In his judgment, the presiding Judge, Justice Obiye Daniel-Kalio said the suit lacked locus standi, hence his decision to strike it out.

Daniel-Kalio frowned at the absence of the claimant, who is the Executive Director of IHRHL, Mr. Anyakwe Nsirimovu and the counsels to the claimants during the court’s sitting.

Speaking to newsmen, the Solicitor-General of the State, Mr. Rufus Godwins described the judgment as a welcome development, saying that the state government will now go ahead to enforce the law for the benefit of the people of the state.

Describing the contributory levy law as extant, Godwins stated that those who are against the enforcement of the law were against the interest of the people of the state.

He wondered why someone could go to court to challenge the existence of a law barely one month after its existence, without waiting to see how the enforcement of the law would affect the people of the state.

Managing Director of Makon Group, Mr Makinde A. Oluseyi in a handshake with Antonov Dmyntro, pilot of the world biggest cargo plane at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa