Tipper drivers in Enugu stormed the Government House to protest against a N500-per-trip-of-sand levy imposed on them by Enugu State.
The protesters, under the aegis of the Tipper Drivers and Owners Association of Nigeria, said they could not afford the levy.
Our correspondent gathered that the drivers had been paying the sum of N100 daily as ‘mineral resources levy’ to the state government for supplying sand to builders before the N500 fee was introduced as ‘natural resources levy’.
It was gathered that the enforcement of the new N500 natural resources levy, which the tipper drivers said runs concurrently with the old N100 mineral resources levy, commenced on Wednesday, November 23, 2016.
The tipper drivers, who were miffed at the development, said they could not understand the difference between ‘mineral resources’ and ‘natural resources’.
Some of the protesters, who spoke to our correspondent while the group chanted solidarity songs and displayed placards in front of the Government House, said officials of the state Ministry of Environment deployed men of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps and thugs to enforce the payment of the N500 levy.
The tipper drivers said many of their members were manhandled, while their vehicles were also vandalised by the enforcement team.
The group said the development forced them to visit the Government House to make their grievances known to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
One of the tipper drivers, Emeka Ozoalo, said, “We were paying N100 daily as mineral resources levy – we accepted that. But on Wednesday, they said we should be paying N500 per trip as natural resources levy.”
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