By Makafan Joseph
The Kogi State Chapter of Heavy Duty and Haulage Transportation Association of Nigeria (HDHTAN) has condemned illegal taxations and impersonation of its members in the State.
The State Chairman of the Association, Mr Chukwuma Okechukwu Trust stated this during a news briefing to address key issues affecting the Transportation and Hauling sector in Kogi State, including multiple taxation, insecurity and man made problems.
Mr. Trust noted that the Association within short time of operation, has been able to achieve several milestones including intelligence sharing, truck monitoring, illicit activity prevention and whistleblowing which have helped to prevent diversion of goods meant for the State.
While condemning the incidence of miscreants impersonating HDHTAN and carrying out illegal taxations, the Chairman assured that the association is working with relevant authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
He urged the people to report any suspicious activities regarding taxation to the HDHTAN or any nearby security agencies for prompt action.
Mr. Trust commended Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo for creating conducive environment for businesses to thrive and assured him of the association’s support for his administration.
“We appreciate the support of the Kogi State Government led by his Excellency Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, in making life easier for kogites despite the economic challenges facing the country”.
The Chairman called for the support of Local Government Areas and Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGRIS) to achieve set goals.
“We recognize and respect the roles of these agencies and have no intention of taking over their jobs. Our goal is to complement their efforts and ensure that multiple and illegal taxation on our members to stop. This will contribute to the economic growth and development of the State”.
On the yuletide season, the Chairman assured that the association is committed to ensuring a safety and security of the transportation sector, stressing that they will ensure that roads are secure for all users across the State.
“We thank the public for their support and trust in our policies and operations. We are committed to serving the interests of our members and the public and we look forward to working with all stakeholders to achieve set goals.
“We urge all well-meaning kogites to join us in rejecting illegal taxation m our ultimate goal is to reduce food item costs, alleviating citizen’s economic burdens. Moving forward, our actions will reflect our commitment to sanity on Kogi State highways. We have started already, Kabba (Kogi West) were visited by the special taskforce over the weekend. Our collaboration with the IGP taskforce and support from KGIRS is indeed a good one”.
“We are committed to transparency and accountability in all our operations. We believe that this is essential in building trust with our members and the public. We will continue to work tirelessly to promote the welfare of kogites and ensure that the transportation sector and hauling activities in Kogi State is safe, efficient and contributes to the economic growth and development of the state”.
