Kwara state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, has rejoiced with all Nigerians over the return of President Muhammadu Buhari from his medical vacation in London, United Kingdom. He said the president’s return “has shamed who do not wish the President and the country any good.” Ahmed, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, thanked Almighty Allah for the quick recovery of the President and wished him continuous protection.
“I am delighted that Mr. President has fully recovered and ready to continue to deliver on the campaign promises of our party by improving on the economy, fi ghting corruption and strengthening security,” he said in a statement. Ahmed hoped that with the renewed vigour, the President would consolidate on various successes recorded by his administration in the last two years. He also commended Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, for his commitment in moving the country forward while holding forth for President Buhari. According to him, “the support and prayers of By Kingston Obung Calabar Hundreds of traders in the popular Henshaw town fi sh/ crayfi sh beach market in Calabar, yesterday, protested and shut down the market over multiple levies allegedly imposed on them by the Cross River State Internal Revenue Service, IRS. Th e market, known in local parlance as Urua Esuk Nsidung, is where large quantity of assorted smoked fi shes and bags of crayfi sh brought from the Bakassi peninsular and other fi shing settlements along the shores of Atlantic Ocean, are sold on Sundays and Th ursdays in wholesale to retailers across the country. Th e action caused many customers, who had thronged the popular market, to be stranded. Some of the customers, who spoke to our reporter expressed disappointment over the development, saying they came from as far as Ogoja, Ikom and neighbouring Ebonyi and Abia states to buy fi sh and crayfi sh. But the traders, under the aegis of Henshaw Town Beach Market Traders Union (HETOBMATU) insisted that they were protesting multiple levies and that the market would only be opened when government retraces its steps as regards the levies. Spokesman for the group, Evang Boniface Ediafai, said despite paying toll tickets, landingfees, sanitation fees, security fees and royalty, IRS came up with additional levies categorised as waterfront land allocation, boat registration levy, foreign landing permit, local landing permit as well as goods/product levy. “People who claimed to be offi cials of IRS brought a letter placing levy on garri, salt, beans, fi sh and even sachet water amongst others. Look at how dirty the market is, government has not come out to say, ‘look, we are cleaning up the place.’ As you can see, we have no form of amenities like convenience, electricity or locked up shop to even keep our wares safe and no security. “Robbers attack us in that market in broad day light because we have no security. Apart from that, militants force us to pay taxes to them too. We are suff ering and government is contributing in making our lives bitter,” he said. However, the state government, through Waterfront Infrastructure Management Agency (WIMA), in letter signed by WIMA’s DirectorGeneral, Victor Effi ong Okon, distanced itself from the current round of levy. It said the body had not mandated any individual, group or corporate body to collect any form of levy, tax, penalty fees amongst others from the traders.
