FG launches crackdown on highway extortion to reduce food costs

Prof. Kailani Muhammad, the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Harmony Corps of Nigeria, says the corps has gotten the Federal Government’s mandate to flush retired touts from the nation’s highways.

Muhammad said that the determination was cheque the postulation of amerciable taxes and levies connected the highways, frankincense

promoting inexpensive nutrient items successful the country.

He disclosed this successful Abuja connected Thursday astatine the Food Security Summit themed “Tracking the Transport Challenges Against Economic Development successful Nigeria”.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the acme was organised by the Harmony Corps of Nigeria successful collaboration with the Nigeria Association of Agricultural Products Dealers (NAAPD).

The BOT president said that the corps was moving with different information agencies to wide the touts connected the nation’s highways.

“We person thugs, criminals, crooks, touts connected our roads, collecting taxes, levies.

“All these taxes and levies are ever enactment connected goods that are trotting the full state connected our highways, making nutrient items to beryllium costly.

“For example, If determination are touts astatine astir 10 checkpoints, each collecting wealth dubiously, that wealth volition beryllium added to the products. It is excessively bad.

“That is wherefore we privation to wide them. We are sounding a precise superior warning.

We volition bash everything imaginable due to the fact that we are being mandated by the authorities to marque definite that we wide each these touts truthful that we tin person inexpensive nutrient successful the country,” helium said.

Muhammad said that the main intent of the acme was to spouse and stock ideas with applicable stakeholders successful bid to travel up with the strategies that would tackle transport challenges connected Nigeria’s highways.

“Our operations volition screen from Abuja to Lokoja to Southwest, South East, South-south. From Abuja to Kaduna, Zaria, Kano, Maiduguri, and each implicit the country.

“We are already identifying each the checkpoints wherever these dubious radical are operating. We are going to bring retired the blueprint arsenic soon arsenic possible.

“We are besides establishing a power country to marque definite that we way each the trucks that are leaving 1 authorities oregon the different to their destination,” helium said.

He said that the corps would marque definite that the trucks were decently monitored for enhancement of their question truthful that they tin present these goods properly, connected time, and with nary cost.

“We tin not bash it alone. We enactment with the civilian JTF, police, army, the DSS and different information agencies. We spouse with them to execute the mandate.”

In her remarks, Elizabeth Omini, Founder/Harmony Corps’ General, said that the corps besides signed a Deed of Agreement with the Nigeria Association of Agricultural Products Dealers (NAAPD).

Omini said that the statement was to instrumentality and execute the mandate to sensitise and wide each amerciable roadblocks and gross collections.

According to her, the implementation of this task unit by the Harmony Corps of Nigeria (HCN) volition output galore benefits for our nation.

She listed the benefits to see accrued gross procreation for the authorities done morganatic taxation and reduced leakages.

“Reduction successful nutrient prices owed to the elimination of amerciable roadblocks and aggregate taxation, which volition pb to accrued entree to affordable nutrient for Nigerians.

“Improved economical improvement done enhanced concern situation and accrued capitalist confidence.

“Enhanced information and information connected our roads, reducing the hazard of accidents, robberies and kidnappings,” helium said.

The corps’ wide called for stakeholders’ synergy successful bid to execute the task.

“Together, we volition marque a quality and guarantee nutrient security, beforehand economical development, and make a amended aboriginal for our nation,” she said.

Also speaking, The BoT Chairman of NAAPD, Chief Charles Orji, said that aggregate taxations were liable for nutrient terms hike successful the country.

“Point by point, they support connected collecting money, beating drivers, hitting them, stealing from them. When volition this happening stop? It volition halt now,” Orji said.

According to him, the Federal Government, done the assistance of the Ministry of Agriculture, selected ...