Hundrens of Rivers women protest against alleged tax for governor’s perfume

– Market women marched to the government house in Port Harcourt to protest against multiple taxation

– The women lamented that a leader of a task force established by the Port Harcourt City Council was collecting illegal levies from them

– The ptotesters asked Governor Nyesom Wike to caution Sunny Sam-Ejekwu, the chairman of the council

Hundreds of angered women marched to the government house in Port Harcourt to protest against an alleged multiple taxation, which includes a tax for governor’s perfume.

The Punch reports that the women from Mile Three Market in Diobu chanted war songs and carried placards, which read: ‘We no go gree’, ‘Pay-pay too much’, ‘Stop collecting chairman’s money from us’, ‘Save us from extortion and intimidation’ and others.

The protesters caused a gridlock around Azikiwe Road as they asked Governor Nyesom Wike to caution Sunny Sam-Ejekwu, the chairman of the Port Harcourt City Council.

The women lamented that a leader of a task force established by the council was impoverishing by collecting various illegal levies from them.

READ ALSO: PHOTOS: Market Women Storm Rivers To Protest Wike’s Removal

One of the protesting women, who identified herself as Gift, said:

“Each of us pays levies ranging from N1, 500 to N4, 000. The one that is annoying us and forced us to embark on this protest is the N2, 000 for ‘governor’s perfume’. They said the money would be used to purchase perfume for the governor.

“The task force constituted by the government is using their position as to intimidate us and extort money from us. They charge us money unnecessarily. They coin name for each of the money they want to take from us.

“Sometimes we don’t sell anything, but they will ensure that we pay more than 1,000 naira daily. We don’t make much in our trade, but our small gains go into the government’s pocket.”

Gift stressed that the government should appoint a chairman for the market, who will protect market women from the incessant harassment and extortion from task force members.

“We don’t have a chairman in charge of the Mile 3 Market. If there is a chairman, we can take our grievances to him. I sell fish. When these task force people come, they throw my fish away and force me to pay N2,000,” the woman added.

READ ALSO: Women Stage Protest In Benin City

Meanwhile, Sam-Ejekwu said that he was not aware of any extortion in Mile 3 market and described the allegation of intimidation as blackmail.

According to him, the claims by the market women are politically motivated.

However, he promised to investigate the matter and find out the reason behind the market women’s protest at the government house.

When contacted, Austin Tam-George, the state commissioner for information and communication, said that there was no levy for the governor’s perfume.

He noted that Governor Wike had already ordered the arrest of fake task force members, who are extorting money from traders

The post Hundrens of Rivers women protest against alleged tax for governor’s perfume appeared first on Nigeria News today & Breaking news | Read on NAIJ.COM.