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Drivers Allege Sabotage Of Unified Taxation System

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6 years ago

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Following the recent introduction of harmonised taxation system by the Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue, compelling commercial drivers to pay N300 daily, commercial drivers are lamenting the harassment and forceful collection of additional fees by road transport unions and other associations.
The Tide reports that the unified taxation system was intended to abrogate the multiple taxation regime, with a view to ensuring that drivers pay N300 daily to the covers of the state government to get ticket that would make them ply any route in the state.
The Tide investigation however, revealed that commercial drivers in various locations pay for as much as five tickets, amounting to about N3,000 in a day as against the N300 approved by the Board of Internal Revenue.
Speaking to The Tide, recently, Vitalus Onyema, a commercial driver, who plies Trans-Amadi route said, “We are paying double ticket, about five different tickets, amounting to N3,000 daily as against the governments approved N300 only. The National Union chairman in this area uses thugs to force us to buy their tickets, thereby sabotaging the efforts of government.”
In his view, another driver, John Ibim, lamented that “we are forced by the union people to buy tickets for 200 maintenance, Obio/Akpor, Phalga, community and National Union of Road Transport Workers, all amounting to N3,100 plus the government N300 scratch card daily. Most of us are driving on hire purchase and before you can afford to pay the principal owner of the vehicle N1.6 million, you have already paid N1.2 million to unions”
Boma Okujagu who plies Slaughter to Abuloma said, “the touts engaged by these groups will not want to know whether you have fuel or not, but the ticket money. There are some of the union members that have battons and log of wood in their hands, before you resist them, they have battered your vehicle or even break your head with it. Yesterday, they recruited some cult boys and they injured some of our drivers. We suggest the money should be kept at N1,500 to cover both government and these other groups”
In another development, Keke drivers plying Rumuokoro-Rumuagholu route in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area have also cried out that they were forced to buy three different tickets every day apart from the N200 paid to the state government.
However, a NURTW official who spoke to The Tide on condition of anonymity, said “we are not thwarting governments’ order because the union must survive as the government survives. The multiple taxation is only against the double collection of stickers and tickets from one local government area to the order, meaning that the N300 scratch card of government covers the drivers any where they go. There is no time government ban NURTW not to collect their union dues. So, they must pay their daily union dues as long as the union exists”

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Transport

Automated Points Concession : FAAN Workers Gave 72hrs To Revise Decisions In PH

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1 month ago

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March 2, 2026

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The trapatriate Unions conprising the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), and the Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, (ATSSSAN),  has given 72 hours Ultimatum to Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria FAAN, Omagwa Airport, Portharcourt to revise its recent decision on the concession of Tollgates and Parks to private hands.
The chairman of the Trapatriate Union, Comrade Felix Ohwoefe gave the Ultimatum yesterday immediately after the joint Unions meeting held at the Airport office of the union, Omagwa, Portharcourt.
Comrade Ohwoefe who double as the chairman of the National Union of NUATE said the two Unions have agreed to take drastic actions if the Authority of the Airport declined to step down it’s decision of concessioning the major revenue points to private hands.
According to the Union chairman, the  two union was not aware of the  concession plans, and that there were no due process to the procedures.
Comrade Ohwoefe said any attempt for the Airport Management to decline it’s demands towards the concession will result to barricading all entrance and access points of the Airport.
Expressing the  the challenges associated to the concession, the Union Chairman said the gesture might resulted to massive sack of workers in the Airport.
The chairman also expressed foul play on the part of either individuals or government in the terms and conditions so given to the concessionaires, demanding the reasons of contracting the automated points to private hands for only 14 millions, when the FAAN is presently generating over 28 million naira monthly, even when the tariff was not  reviewed upwards.
He describes the process to the procedures as fraud with intention to increase unemployment in the state.
“We are not against the concession of the Automated points, but due process must be followed. If government is concessioning the place, we are asking what will happen to our workers in the existing units.
“Secondly, if the concessionaires is taken over, they must pay higher than what the FAAN is generating presently, we are generating to the Management over 28 Millions monthly, but we had that the private company is required to pay only 14 Millions monthly, which is far below 5 percents of what we are generating presently, even when the tariff is increased, which means there is a foul play.
“The process is fraud either on the part of individual in the Government, or Government itself.
” The unions is saying no to the Concession until we come to a terms of understanding ourselves., we are afraid of loosing workers, we don’t want to loose any workers if due process is not followed in this hard of economy,  we even demanding for employment of more workers in FAAN.” Comrade Ohwoefe said.
The Union used the opportunity to called on the minister of aviation, and the President of the Country, Bola Tinubu to intervene.
When contacting the Management of the Airport Authority through the head of Corporate Affairs, Dr Ngozi V. Onyeanwuna-Nwosu,  she said the management has not given her the approval to say something.
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FAAN Announces Pick-Up Points for Go-Cashless Cards

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1 month ago

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March 2, 2026

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The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced designated pick-up points for individuals wishing to obtain their Go-Cashless cards ahead of the March 1, 2026 deadline.
This was announced in a statement signed by the Director Public Affairs and Consumer protection, Henry Agbebire  and made available to the Tide last Friday in Portharcourt.
According to the statement,  Go-Cashless cards is at all  FAAN commercial offices and access gates of Airports in the country .
The release further stated that cards will also be available at designated branches of Fidelity Bank Plc from March 16, 2026.
FAAN in the statement said the cashless policy followed the Federal Government directive mandating all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to transition to a cashless system to enhance transparency and reduce revenue leakages as well improve transaction traceability in the Aviation sector.
FAAN  reiterated its commitment to full compliance with the directive, appealing to the public for their understanding and cooperation during the transition period.
FAAN also inform that the Go-Cashless cards can still be obtained at the designated points after the March 1, deadline.
The Authority assures airport users that the initiative will promote faster, safer, and more convenient transactions across its airports nationwide.
By: Enoch Epelle
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Nigeria Rates 7th For Visa Application To France —–Schengen Visa

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2 months ago

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January 28, 2026

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Nigeria was the 7th country in 2024, which filed the most schenghen visa to France, with a total of 111,201 of schenghen visa applications made in 2025, out of which 55,833, about 50.2 percent submitted to France
Although 2025 data is unavailable, these figures from Schengen Visa Info implies that France is not merely a preferred destination, but has been a dominant access point for Nigerian short-stay travel into Europe.
France itself has received more than three million Schengen visa applications, making it the most sought-after Schengen destination globally and a leading gateway for long-haul and third-country travellers. It was the top destination for applicants from 51 countries that same year, including many without visa-exemption arrangements with the Schengen Zone, and the sole destination for applicants from seven countries.
Alison Reed, a senior analyst at the European Migration Observatory said, “France’s administrative reach shapes applicant strategy, but it also concentrates risk. If processing times lengthen or documentation standards tighten in Paris, the effects ripple quickly back to capitals such as Abuja.”
The figures underline that this pattern is not unique to Nigeria. In neighbouring West and Central African states such as Gabon, Benin, Togo and Madagascar, more than 90 per cent of Schengen visas were sought via French authorities in 2024, with Chad, Djibouti, the Central African Republic and Comoros submitting applications exclusively to France.
“France acts as the central enumeration point for many African and Asian applicants,” said Manish Khandelwal, founder of Travelobiz.com, which reported the consolidated statistics. “Historical ties, language networks and established diaspora communities all play into that concentration. But volume inevitably invites scrutiny, and that affects refusal rates and processing rigour.”
That scrutiny is visible in the rejection statistics. Of the more than three million French applications in 2024, approximately 481,139 were denied, a rejection rate of about 15.7 per cent. While this rate is lower than in some smaller Schengen states, the sheer volume of applications means France contributes significantly to the total number of refusals within the zone.
For Nigerian applicants and policymakers, one implication is the need to broaden engagement with other Schengen consular hubs. “Over-reliance on a single consulate creates what one might call administrative bottleneck effects,” said Jean-Luc Martin, a professor and expert in European integration and mobility law at Leiden University. “If applicants from Nigeria default to France without exploring legitimate alternatives in countries like Spain, Germany or the Netherlands, they expose themselves to systemic risk
Martin added that the broader context of Schengen visa policy is evolving, with the European Commission’s preparing roll-out of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) aimed at harmonising pre-travel screening across member states.
For Nigerians seeking leisure, business or educational travel to Europe, these trends suggest that strategic planning and consular diversification could become as important as the completeness of documentation and financial proof. Governments and travel consultancies in Abuja, Lagos and beyond are already advising clients to explore alternative consular pathways and to prepare for more rigorous screening criteria across all Schengen states
By: Enoch Epelle
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