By Isaac Mission
Business activities were disrupted in Obollo-Afor, Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, on Wednesday as traders closed their shops and markets to protest what they described as selective collection of haulage fees.
The traders, who staged a peaceful demonstration and displayed placards, alleged that the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS) was imposing a ₦25,000 haulage charge on each truckload of goods loaded or offloaded at Obollo-Afor market.
They argued that the levy was unfair because, according to them, similar charges were not being imposed on trucks operating in other major markets across the state.
The protest was led by the Chairman of the Obollo-Afor Market Traders Association, Charles Eze, who said the levy had discouraged truck operators from delivering goods directly to the market.
According to Eze, truck owners have instead diverted consignments to locations including Orba, Enugu-Ezike, Nsukka and Orie-Igboeze, leaving traders to travel to those areas to collect their goods.
He said the traders were not opposed to paying legitimate government levies, including the state's e-ticketing charges, but objected to what they considered discriminatory treatment of Obollo-Afor.
Eze claimed that the haulage charge had been in effect for more than two months and had contributed to a sharp decline in the flow of goods into the market.
He appealed to Governor Peter Mbah to intervene, saying the traders were willing to pay whatever haulage fee applied uniformly across markets in the state.
Other traders' representatives, including Chief James Odo of the Foodstuff Dealers Association and Chief Damian Nwodo of the Electrical and Electronic Dealers Association, also expressed concerns about the impact of the levy on their businesses.
The traders marched to the Udenu Local Government Secretariat to present their grievances to council officials.
Responding to the protesters, the Secretary to Udenu Local Government Council, Chika Aroh, said the council had arranged a meeting with representatives of ESIRS to clarify the situation.
Aroh said officials would establish whether the haulage levy was being collected exclusively in Obollo-Afor and promised to communicate the outcome to the traders.
He also indicated that, pending the outcome of the meeting, the collection would be halted.
The controversy has raised concerns among traders over the effect of haulage charges on the movement of food, building materials and other commodities into one of the area's major commercial centres.