Politics
LASG, APC, PDP, Trade Words Over Parking Levy
The Lagos State Government, All Progressives Congress, APC, and People’s Democratic Party, PDP, have engaged in counter accusations over collection of parking levy, of the state tax regime.
Lagos State Government, however, described the wide condemnation by members of the public as propaganda to rubbish the good intention of the state government.
The accusations came following a notice by Lagos State Parking Authority, LASPA, served on a property owner for parking on setback which subsequently went viral on social media.
A memo titled: “Parking Permit And Demand Notice,” which was obtained showed that residents are mandated by law to pay a certain fee for parking on property setbacks or in front of their property.
In a letter dated August 15 and sent by LASPA to Nellies, a food and snack company, the agency charged N290,000 for parking lots on setbacks.
According to the letter, the agency charged N80,000 per annum on three parking slots for off-street with N50,000 as non-refundable administrative processing fee.
Part of the letter read: “The Lagos State Parking Authority, established under the law to consolidate all that relating to parking and its connected purposes with powers and functions, clearly states that the Authority shall, among others, be responsible for all forms of managed parking in the State.
“In view of the above, and in line with the administration’s policy in moving Lagos State towards a 21st-century economy to align with the first pillar of Theme’s Agenda of which transportation is key, your organisation is hereby served this demand notice for the setback parking (Off-Street) in front of your premises before the commencement of enforcement action.
“Based on the inspection, we identified three (3) parking slots on your setback at the rate of N80,000 per slot per annum totalling N240,000.00 only.
“Also, a non-refundable Administrative/Processing fee of N50,000, only applies based on your location totalling N290,000.00 only, payable for the year 2022, to be paid into Lagos State Parking Authority account within a period of seven days of receiving this letter.”
Meanwhile, reacting to the tax policy, the PDP in Lagos State, in a statement lampooned APC for introducing such levy on residents which it claimed would further impoverish the people.
PDP condemned the levy on the parking on the setback on property as “exorbitant”, and a bid to “milking the people of the state to finance the individual ambition of one man who had held the state and its people by the jugular.”
Reacting to PDP’s allegation, Publicity Secretary of APC, Lagos State, Seye Oladejo, described it as “embarrassing and contemptible.”
According to Oladejo, “We received with shock the unfortunate statement issued by the PDP, Lagos State, on the new parking policy in the state. The opposition party, in its attempt to curry the sentiments of the people of Lagos and in its characteristic manner, made allegations that are outlandish, embarrassing, and contemptible.
“It should be noted that in the effort of the Lagos State Government to respond to the growing need for regulation of chaotic parking in the state, it enacted a law establishing the Lagos State Parking Authority- LASPA.
“According to recent statistics by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), there are more than 13 million active vehicles plying Nigerian roads today. Out of that figure, more than 2 million cars are in Lagos. About 10 per cent of the cars require parking each day.
“The visionary drive of the successive Lagos State Governments, which has seen Lagos State gradually emerging as a true 21st Century city state, with burgeoning economy, first class infrastructure, and service support systems, is obviously beyond the impaired contemplation of the PDP. What occurs to PDP in its renowned shortsightedness is politics and money making.
“In a most ridiculous manner, the opposition party is rather seeing an opportunity to pool a wool over the eyes of the people of the state, pretending to have any altruistic interest in their wellbeing.
“It is easy for the discerning people of this state to see beyond the hypocritical sympathy of PDP. Otherwise, if the leadership of PDP had any such genuine concern for Lagosians, it should be demonstrated towards alleviating the untold hardship many people of the state are facing on the road on daily basis.
“It bears repeating for the information of the general public that LASPA or any of its staffers or agents will not charge on cars parked in any compound. However, any car parked on the setback, such person, organisation or group of persons will be charged accordingly”.
“A setback (for obvious reasons) is the space between your perimeter fencing and the walkway or the road, as the case may be.
“Whoever claims he/she owns a setback around his/her property will have to provide official documentation from the authorised MDA in Lagos State showing the legal ownership of the said setback and the Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) certificate of the property to the authority.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the main duty of LASPA is to regulate parking to reduce traffic gridlock caused by indiscriminate parking, reduce travel time, loss of productive man-hours and economic downtime which when multiplied by average wage rate amounts to billions of naira and reduce incessant road accidents. These are by far noble objectives geared towards making Lagos conducive for all residents.”
APC, therefore, urged residents to ignore what it termed, “the charlatans currently running PDP in the state and team up with LASPA in achieving the objective of making our road free of gridlock.”
Mr Rhodes-Vivour expressed concern over the development, saying a dangerous precedent was being set.
He said: “What we witnessed at the House of Assembly represents a troubling pattern where might is increasingly valued over right. This forceful seizure of the legislative chambers undermines the very foundations of our democracy and sends a disturbing message about how power is wielded in our state.”
Mr Rhodes-Vivour criticised the ruling party in Lagos, accusing it of systematically promoting thuggery and violence over ideas.
He argued that such actions have eroded public trust in governance and weakened democratic values that should preserve the rule of law.
He said: “For too long, Lagos politics has been defined by intimidation rather than inspiration, by coercion rather than conviction. The ruling party has consistently demonstrated a willingness to use force to have its way notwithstanding the popular will of the people.”
Mr Rhodes-Vivour urged Lagosians to take the current crisis as a wake-up call ahead of future elections, saying voters should prioritise candidates who demonstrate character, competence and compassion regardless of party affiliation.
“The quality of our democracy depends entirely on the quality of individuals we elect to represent us. Lagosians deserve leaders who view public office as a sacred trust rather than a platform for personal aggrandizement”, he said.
In a statement, signed by its spokesman, Mr Chika Adiele, the group warned that the judiciary would be held responsible for any breakdown of law and order in Rivers State.
They expressed shock over the verdict, warning that it could disrupt the peace and development efforts of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The statement read in part: “The attention of the pan-Niger Delta Youths Empowerment Forum, under the leadership of Comrade Maobu Nangi Obu, has been drawn to the shocking verdict of the Supreme Court of Nigeria ordering seizure of Rivers State’s allocation. This is nothing short of economic sabotage against Rivers people.
“The apex Niger Delta youths body is dismayed by the infantile antics of anti-democratic forces whose stock in trade is brewing crisis in a bid to topple the people’s Governor. We firmly condemn this judgement as it is against the tenet of the constitution of Nigeria.
“It is an invitation to war and against equity, justice, and fair play. We equally condemn the order nullifying the local government election as reckless and vindictive.
“Unfortunately, the justices of the Supreme Court positioned themselves as a party to the suit rather than impartial arbiters of justice.”
They urged Nigerians to note that the principle of democracy is rooted in sound constitutional pronouncements with a view to establishing justice. “Therefore, any attempt by the enemies of Rivers people to seize power by judicial fiat will be resisted by the Niger Delta youths.
“We cannot be cowed, neither shall we lay in surrender at the altar of political manipulations of rascals. We reiterate boldly, once again, that anyone, no matter how highly placed, will face fierce resistance by the majority of Rivers people,” they said.
Former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Biodun Olujimi, has appealed to Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central, to withdraw her suit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Speaking during a live television interview on Saturday, Senator Olujimi said she does not want women to “look emotionally unstable”.
On February 20, Senator Akpabio, the senate president, and Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan engaged in a heated debate during plenary over a change in seating arrangements.
On February 25, the senate referred Akpoti-Uduaghan to the committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions for disciplinary review.
However, the Kogi senator filed a N100 billion defamation suit against Senator Akpabio over an alleged defamatory statement reportedly made by the senate president’s legislative aide.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan later alleged that her trouble in the senate began after she rejected sexual advances from Senator Akpabio.
Reacting to the development, Senator Olujimi said a senator cannot speak outside the assigned seat according to the senate rule.
The former lawmaker said the request of the Kogi senator that her senate probe proceedings should be broadcast live was a “little overboard.”
She added that the clash between the senate president and Akpoti-Uduaghan should not have been escalated, noting that the change in seating arrangements is a normal phenomenon in the red chamber.
The former senate minority leader expressed support for the probe of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s “weighty” allegations against Senator Akpabio.
She said Senator Akpabio is someone who jokes a lot, adding that the senate president usually made fun of everything.
“I want to say that in the 8th and 9th senate, we never had anything like that (referring to the allegations), and Senator Akpabio was one of us.
“They treated us (female senators) with decorum. We did not have anything like that, and I have not heard anything of such from any other of the remaining senators.
“It is tough for me to be able to take that without proper investigation. There should be an investigation.
“He (Akpabio) jokes a lot. He is fond of making little fun out of everything. He loves to make everything light; when you do that, you become very vulnerable.
“I saw all that they (referring to male senators) went through as men when I was there. They were all victimised by people from outside. I had to rescue them all of the time.
“The court case, I want to appeal to her to take the case out of court. We don’t want women to look like they are emotionally unstable.
“We need to also be strong enough to face the men. Going to court against a presiding officer is not on. I know she is hurt, but she needs to handle it in a better way. I think that should get out of court as fast as possible”, Senator Olujimi said.