By Praise Chinecherem
Commercial tricycle operators popularly known as Keke riders in Awka, Anambra State capital and its environs have resisted attempt of the Anambra Internal Revenue Service, AIRS, to impose a technological device called ‘TRANSPAY’ on their tricycles, for fair revenue collection.
The Keke riders, who gathered in Awka South Local Government Secretariat, Amawbia, weeke for a one-on-one dialogue with Keke owners, road management agencies and the AIRS, again expressed obvious rejection to the TRANSPAY technology after its launch on Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
The angry Keke riders, who were chanting solidarity songs for Soludo’s administration, on the onset of the meeting, turned the meeting’s venue uncontrollably rowdy when the Chairman, AIRS, Dr Gregory Ezilo, began to engage them in the benefits the technology have for them and the state government.
They appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration to make the TRANSPAY installation policy optional, giving a series of reasons, which include the current hard time in the country, poor conditions of their tricycles, among others.
Recall that the AIRS was on Tuesday, 20th August, 2024, launched TRANSPAY, a device that would enable the Service to collect revenue from the tricyclists ‘as they work.’
Each Keke rider is to pay N35,000, which would be spread over a period of three years making the payment N250 every day.
Addressing the Keke riders, Dr Ezilo, who began his speech with a moral education on how they could make their lives better, using their current tricycle business, said categorically that Governor Soludo no longer wants cash payment of tax.
‘If you don’t want the tracker (TRANSPAY technology installed) in your Keke, you stay in your house, simple,’ Ezilo told the already angered Keke riders.
He enumerated various achievements of Soludo’s administration, trying hard to convince the furious Keke riders to come to terms with the idea of TRANSPAY technology.
However, with anger boldly written on their faces, the Keke riders said, ‘no, we don’t want a tracker; we’re not ready to pay for anything now.
‘Some of the Kekes government wants to put a tracker (TRANSPAY technology) are in a very bad condition, and in a mechanic now.
‘The way we’re paying the tax now is okay for us; we don’t want to pay for another thing; fuel is N1,300.
‘Tell Soludo that time is very hard now,’ they said in their characteristic manner.
Some of them whom include, Comrade Innocent Obagha, spoke with the press, appealing to the government to respect the constitutional right of the Keke riders by making the installation of the technology optional.
Comrade Obagha, said, ‘what we want the government to do, is to give us daily payment of IGR whereby we pay only for a day we work; we don’t need a tracker.’
Obagha noted, ‘Section 40 of Nigeria’s Constitution gives us a right to own a property without anybody’s interference.
‘So, the government have no right to interfer on our property by forcing us to put a tracker on our Keke,’ he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Tricycle Owners and Riders Association, Awka Zone, Prince Collins Ozorjiofor, appealed to the angered Keke riders to be calm, expressing optimism that with constant engagement between the Association and the government, mutual understanding and positive results would be achieved.
‘I appeal to Keke people to remain calm; let no one think of a protest of any kind.
‘We’ll continue to engage the state government, for the best way to handle the TRANSPAY system very soon,’ Prince Ozorjiofor said, and continued to express the Association’s unwavering solidarity to Governor Soludo’s administration.
‘Our votes are for the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA. Today, we, the Keke people, have decided to endorse Hon Prince Chinedu Okafor, for Awka South Local Government chairmanship seat.
‘This is because Governor Soludo is doing marvelously well. We, the Keke people, are the most beneficiaries of his administration.
‘Before his administration, the roads across the cities in Anambra State were in a very bad state; we used to constantly change our Kekes’ tyres and stay in mechanics because of bad roads.
‘But now, we don’t go to mechanics as it used to be.
‘So, we’ll pay him back by voting all the APGA candidates in the September 28 local government elections; and also vote for him to give him extra four years to complete the wonderful work he is doing in Anambra State,’ Ozorjiofor hinted.
He, however, expressed displeasure over absence of a representative of the Anambra Road Traffic Management Agency, ARTMA, in the meeting, which he said, the Agency was invited and expected to address the Keke riders on the areas of road traffic concerns as they affect them.
‘The Keke riders complain a lot about the ad hoc staff of the ARTMA. We invited them for this meeting, but it’s quiet unfortunate that they didn’t send a representative.
‘We’re not happy with this, because we wanted to discuss with them one-on-one so that all of us will be in the same page in areas of road traffic matter in the state,’ Ozorjiofor said.
