The Lagos State Government and transportation stakeholders, which includes the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), on Tuesday, January 18, 2021, introduced and signed a consolidated levy of N800 daily for transporters in the informal transport sector in the state.
The harmonized levy which is outside the normal statutory dues collected by these unions was introduced in order, not to over-burden transporters with exorbitant levies.
This was disclosed by the Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Dr Rabiu Olowo, who at the signing ceremony and ticket unveiling at Ikeja, said that there was a need for the harmonised levy.
Olowo said that the consolidated N800 levy, which would take effect from February 1, was a phased approach to ensure the transport sector reform.
According to NAN, Olowo said the state government carried out a survey 6 months ago, and as such, realised that an average transporter paid N3,000 daily as levies.
He noted that most of these daily payments made by transporters is lost to unknown agents, therefore, the need to regulate the levies and sanitise the informal transportation sector.
Olowu added that the reform in the transport sector would help to get a comprehensive database of transporters for better planning.
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