Anambra votes N20b to tackle residents’ hardship

Governor Willie Obiano has injected over N20 billion into the Anambra State small business agency as a stimulus package to alleviate the hardship of the people from the economic recession.

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Communication Strategy, Ogbuefi Tony Nnacheta, who stated this during a chat with The Guardian in Awka yesterday, said: “The governor thought it wise to alleviate the plights of the people by injecting N20 billion into the mainstream of economy in the state.

“Our governor, being aware of the impact of recession, has decided to suspend the collection and sale of consolidated emblems, hawkers’ permits on all streets and wheel-barrow tax in all markets. He abolished the imposition of unapproved levies on students in public primary and secondary schools in Anambra State.

“It was noted that there were leakages in the remittance of the monies collected by the agents and that was why the state government decided to put a stop to collection since not all the monies go into government’s purse as a result of fraudulent act.”

Nnacheta, who disclosed that the state government earns N250 million yearly from the sale of hawkers’ permits, wheelbarrow, motor vehicles emblems, tickets for Okada riders and Keke drivers, among others, further said: “These people pay N750 to the state government before now and we have trimmed it down to N250 as a palliative measure to alleviate their sufferings. We could not abolish the whole payment because it was a law established through Anambra State House of Assembly but we suspended it.

“So, the hawkers have nothing to pay, the wheel-barrow pushers have nothing to pay, the motor drivers have no need to pay for emblem anymore. The Okada man should be paying N50 daily and the Keke man N200 daily and nothing more.”