INTERVIEW: Multiple Levies, Taxes Killing Transportation Business In C' River, DELVAN National President
Judex OKORO and Ekanem ASUQUO
Comrade Raphael Sebastine is the National President of Delivery Vehicles Owners and Drivers Association of Nigeria (DELVAN) with over 300 members. In an exclusive interview to review the association activities in the past one year, Sabastine said one of their aims and objectives is to partner with the government in revenue generation in the transport sector on behalf of our members as well as partner with the government against multiple and illegal taxations because it's unhealthy to any government that is wishing his citizenry well.
But he expressed worries at the plethora of revenue points, agents and agencies in Cross River, explaining that at every junction or where you have small business outfits, there are revenue points and revenue agents. According to him, there is no breathing space for even common taxi or mini-bus drivers as they have become a cow that everybody revenue agent wants to milk from, thereby killing transport industry and leading to increase in transportation fared within the state.
Giving more insight into their ordeals in the hands of revenue agents, the National President said: “They are a whole lot of persons who believe that they can hide under government covers to perpetuate crime, to disturb business people. His Excellency the Governor of Cross River State, Bassey Out, has warned them seriously against extorting money from poor business people, but it seems to fall on deaf ears. Governor Otu has come up with a whole lot of policies that are human friendly, that are business friendly, but a whole lot of revenue agents are sabotaging his government. And knowing too well that the Governor is a kind hearted man, a man that loves people to do business and prosper, so they are now coming in the guise of revenue agents.
“Our organisation pays various forms of taxes and revenues annually on behalf of our members to different agencies of government. Whatever we have to pay, let us pay through the Internal Revenue Service. In other states, we go to the Internal Revenue Service and they will assess us. We negotiate and pay what they ask us to pay. They will receive us, and we will do our business without any encumbrances. But here in Cross River state, Mr. A will come, Mr. B will come, Mr. C will come, everybody will come all in the name of generating revenue for the government and its inflicting pain and causing a whole lot of confusion everywhere. Early in January, at Atimbo Head Bridge, those revenue boys allegedly killed one of our members. He is an Hausa person, in the name of they were asking of N1000 when the man was begging them for N500.
“At every check-in point, they do joint work. They join all those tickets together to enforce. They enforce whether it is legal or illegal. In fact, the illegal tickets are more than the legal ones on all these check points you see across the state. And I know that His Excellency, the Governor, is not aware of this.”
"Shortly his administration came in, we paid homage to CTRA chairman and we briefed him how we used to operate with the government because we don't want any of our members to stop payment taxes. That is why we coordinate it ourselves so that they will not bring issues to us. He said no problem, once it is January, we will sit down and negotiate. He said it is for the interest of the government to avoid revenue leakages.
“We met again with CTRA and submitted the list of our members to them. We agreed to meet and it was scheduled for Friday, January, 10, 2025. But by January 2, about 12 noon, CTRA boss, Mr. Efa Nyong, went behind, sent their tax force led by Hon. Emmanuel Eyo Etim, councilor representing Ward 7 Calabar South local government, to the road to apprehend only DELVAN buses and all efforts to reach him proved abortive. Those impounded vehicles are parked at Surveillance Unit, opposite Governor’s office and used police to intimidate the entire members of DELVIN in the state as if we are common criminals or are indebted to him. I have tried everything possible to reach him on the phone, since that day he switched off all his lines. But sthe task force told me he said the order to impound vehicles came from the Chief of Staff to the Governor, which I know that it is not true.
“The Chief of Staff is a very good man, a business loving man, somebody that wants the state to go forward. I know the extent that we have been supporting this government from inception. We are still ready to partner with government in the transport sector. We will continue to support the government in our own little way and ensure Prince Otu emerges governor come 2027 general election. We are going to stand by him because he has done so well for the transporters in the state.
“We don't want to take laws into our hands. The Governor should please address this and see how to harmonise these taxes for transport sector to thrive. We, the commoners, are dying. The new CTRA chairman is not doing well, he is not the only chairman of CTRA, other people have been there, and other people will come after him.
“According to their law, they have 90 days to start enforcement. Within that window period, if anybody doesn't come to regularise what they have at the beginning of every year then that is when they have the right to apprehend and impound. Effah, the chairman of CTRA, started on the second of January to impound vehicles. There is no state in the federation that starts the apprehension or the enforcement of revenue on January, 2. He is dragging the government of Sen. Bassey Otu to the mud. The members of Delivery Vehicle Owners and Drivers Association of Nigeria are not indebted to Cross River State government. We have our receipts of payment of our our taxes for last year. Some of those people that are hiding themselves under the guise of government are even collecting this revenue into their pockets all in the name of revenue agents and contractors.”
Explaining on the next line of action to protect their members and the association amid the incessant harassment, Sabastine said: “As it is now, if this attack and killing persists, we are going to seek redress in court. We may also be forced to shut down and embark on peaceful protest to the Governor to present our plight. We know the Governor means well but people are trying to hide under his name and perpetuate crime. One of them is Hon. Emmanuel Eyo Etim, the Councilor representing ward 7 in Calabar South. He is the one fronting the whole of this attack. This state is known for its peaceful disposition, So, we don't know where those miscreants and stouts are coming in to spoil the name of this administration.
“This is a cry out by all of us. And we will never keep quiet because we have been operating in this state over the years. Every year they come in and collect lots of millions into their pockets then misrepresent us by going to tell the government that we are not paying taxes. Thank God we have every evidence that we pay to them. Some of them give us their individual accounts we pay. We have all that evidence with us. The government should please help us and harmonise taxation so we can pay under Internal Revenue Service just like other states are doing. The problem of Cross River State is the multiplicity of revenues and taxation.”
On why they participated in the Carnival Calabar 2024, he again explained, “DELVAN participated because the theme of the carnival “Our shared prosperity” was very motivating. We sponsored the CTRA Band, gave out our buses and fuelled it. Besides, the Governor came in with a whole lot of innovations, policies that are business-oriented and people oriented. Then we saw the Governor's initiative as what we were looking for. So, as progressives in the transport sector, as people who mean well for the government of Cross River State in particular as well as for the entire public, the transporters, we represent, we queued into the opportunity to add value. So, that was exactly what motivated us and we spent our resources and participate fully in Calabar Carnival 2024 in partnership with commissioner for Transport and CTRA. It is not that we have so much money. We had to even call our national executive council and our board of trustees to ensure that at least they financed what we were doing here because the Governor is doing well.”
