The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, said rather than creating an additional burden, the levy would stop multiple charges motorists paid to agencies and local government authorities.

The state and local governments, transport unions and other relevant agencies in the state on Tuesday signed an agreement on the ‘Consolidated Informal Transport Sector Levy’ to harmonise dues collected by the government from commercial motorists at parks and garages across the State.

The Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Rabiu Olowo, stated that the N800 covered the local government levy, charges paid to the Ministry of Transportation, the Lagos State Waste Management Authority for clearing waste from motor parks and the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency.

He noted that the approach was part of the efforts to restructure the transport system and further boost the government revenues, adding that personal income taxes of the drivers would be deducted from the N800 levy.

Speaking on the levy, the state Chairman of the National Union Road of Transport Workers, Alhaji Musiliu Ayinde, aka Oluomo, said it would not stop drivers from paying their statutory dues to the union.

The development had generated fears of imminent fare increase among members of the public who believed they would be at the receiving end of the levy.

But Omotoso, in an interview with our correspondent on Saturday, said the levy was not new and was a blessing to drivers and commuters rather than a burden.

He said any motorists, who increase fares as a result of the levy, was being mischievous and cautioned them against doing so.

He stated, “What we are doing is to ensure that drivers and passengers are protected. If the driver takes up from Badagry for example, and he is going to Lagos Island, between the two ends, there are about three to four local government areas and he has to pay some money at each local government. What the Lagos State Government is now doing is to harmonise the whole thing and ensure that once you collect a ticket from the take-off point, you don’t need to collect another ticket from anywhere. So once the money is collected, the local governments are going to get their own share there. There shouldn’t be (any increase). Any driver that wants to increase the fare because he has to pay N800 instead of N3,000 is being mischievous. That is why the unions are involved so that drivers won’t complain that they are paying N800 more. They (drivers) pay as much as N3,000 to travel from one end to another and they are complaining. They are being carried along and many of them are embracing the idea (of N800 levy) and say that if it works, it will solve all their problems. If a driver pays N800 per day henceforth and anybody stops on the road claiming to be working for the local government, such person is committing an offence. But the levy has nothing to do with the unions because they collect their dues from drivers as members. A union has its own tickets and every driver gets it. If any driver doesn’t have it, the union has a right to demand payment.”

The directive was given at a press conference by Commissioner for Youth and Social Development Mr. Olusegun Dawodu, his Information and Strategy counterpart Mr. Gbenga Omotoso and Lagos State Commissioner of Police Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, on Wednesday, August 18, at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa. The conference was organized to announce the creation of a task force to ensure the eradication of street begging and hawking in the state.

Dawodu said setting up the task force became necessary to sanitize the society and restore the dignity of those who have been sent into the streets for alms begging and hawking.

The special team will commence operations “in the next few days”, the Commissioner said, adding that the plan to stop street begging was based on intelligence reports that some of the “so-called” beggars go about with dangerous weapons, assault and rob innocent Lagosians. The State Government will deploy a lot of human and material resources towards enlightenment and sensitisation via different media platforms. As they say, enlightenment becomes entertainment without enforcement. That is why the way to go now is to enforce compliance with the laws of our state for sanity to reign in our society.”

Imploring Lagosians to take alms to recognized registered homes, orphanages, rehabilitation, and faith-based organizations, Dawodu said donations made to such places would be judiciously utilized in ameliorating the conditions of the vulnerable.

The Commissioner sought the support of religious, traditional and political leaders at various levels as well as the media for advocacy against hawking and begging, adding that all Lagosians should join forces to discourage the inhuman culture, which has the capacity to adversely affect the wellbeing of residents.

His words “Street begging is a social vice that we cannot afford to watch until it attains an uncontrollable level before we act. Otherwise, all the good plans and programmes to transform our State would be adversely affected. The same goes for street hawking. This has become big business to some groups of people. Our investigation revealed that beggars and hawkers (children and adults) are transported regularly from other parts of the country to Lagos with the sole aim of doing this odious ‘business’ that demeans humanity and abuses innocence in the case of children, who are being pushed into this degrading trade.”

Dawodu disclosed that as part of the measures being put in place to tackle the menace, the government, through the Rehabilitation and Child Development departments of the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, has maintained a Rescue Unit saddled with the responsibility of rescuing and protecting the destitute and the vulnerable.

Explaining that the destitute taken off the streets will be rehabilitated in government correctional centers, the Commissioner pointed out that the team will provide treatment, psychosocial therapy, and vocational training to make those taken off the streets useful to themselves and the society.

Speaking on laws backing the decision of the Lagos State Government, Dawodu noted;

“Section 157{1(b)and(e) of the Criminal Law, 2015, describes nuisance as any person who prevents the public from having access to any part of a highway by an excessive and unreasonable use of it or does any unlawful act which causes inconveniences or damage to the public.”

He, therefore, urged those involved in the illicit business of street hawking and alms begging to desist as appropriate penalties would be applied on anyone caught flouting the law.