By Ikeugonna Eleke
Tricycle operators in Awka North and South Local Government Areas of Anambra State, under the aegis of Anambra Keke Drivers Forum (AKDF), Monday, inspected some road projects of Governor Chukwuma Soludo in the area.
The operators, who were mobilized by their coordinator, Mr Osita Obi, said they were satisfied with the ongoing road construction across the state by the governor, describing it as proof of accountability for their taxes.
There had been protests in the early days of Soludo’s administration by the operators, who accused the governor of high-handedness and an oppressive tax regime. The matter was however later addressed.
During Monday’s inspection, the coordinator of the forum, Mr Obi, said: ‘The essence of this inspection today is for keke drivers to see what the governor is doing, where the tax they’re paying are deployed to.
‘We praise the governor where he’s doing well and ask him to continue. We also want more Keke drivers to come into government tax net so that government will have more money to embark on more roads.
‘This exercise is not politically motivated. I’m not swayed by any political party, but totally independent. I praise what is good and criticize what is bad.
‘This is my brain child. I’m the sponsor, originator, financier and facilitator of this forum. I’m not a Keke driver, but I came in as a rights activist when I saw the heavy tax being imposed on these people. We led a protest to the governor, and he listened and disbanded some groups that were collecting illegal tax from these people.’
The tricyclists who also spoke to journalists praised the governor for the quality of roads, saying that there was no better way to campaign than to show Anambra people his projects.
One of them, Amos Nweke, said: ‘With what we have seen on ground, we are now strengthened to do more to pay our taxes, and we will vote for Soludo if he contests again.’
