Rivers Commercial Drivers Protest Multiple Taxation, Demand Government Action Against Touts
By Polycarp Nwaeke
The Commercial Drivers Welfare Association (CDWA) has called on the Rivers State Government, led by Siminalayi Fubara, to put an end to multiple taxation and the activities of touts, popularly known as “agberos,” across the state.
The association lamented that the burden of multiple taxation and the growing menace of touts are crippling their businesses. According to the drivers, much of their daily earnings are forcefully taken by individuals posing as government agents, who line the streets of Port Harcourt to collect illegal levies.
Angry members of the association gathered at Market Junction and Mile One Flyover, carrying placards ahead of a planned march to the Rivers State Government House to present their grievances to the governor.
Some of the placards bore inscriptions such as: “Stop Multiple Taxation,” “Agberos Should Leave Drivers Alone,” and “Government Should Ban Agberos.”
Speaking on behalf of the group, Idika Ikechukwu, Unit Secretary of the Aba Road branch of CDWA, stated:
“Today, our members are staging a peaceful protest against multiple taxation and the activities of touts in Rivers State. Whatever we earn is being taken by these agberos, who pretend to be government agents. They treat drivers poorly, sometimes harassing and using force to collect money from us.
We are marching to the Government House to make our concerns known to the governor and appeal for urgent intervention. This is a peaceful demonstration to highlight the daily harassment and illegal levies imposed on our members.
These touts operate across the city, especially in areas like Eleme Junction, Oil Mill, and Rumuola. We are tired of working only to hand over our earnings to them. We are not convinced they are acting on behalf of the government, and we believe many are involved in illegal activities.
We want the government to take decisive action by banning multiple taxation and putting an end to the activities of agberos in Rivers State.”
The association emphasized that their protest is aimed at drawing attention to the challenges faced by commercial drivers and urging the government to restore order and fairness in the transport sector. It is on record that the activities of these touts (agberos) have continued to result in the death of innocent people at the Oilmill Market and Eleme Junction axis of Aba Road.
