Anambra State Government appointed Revenue Collector in the market, Chief Donatus and his co-horts have been warned to refrain from shortchanging the State Government.
Members of Board of Trustees (BoT), and some major stakeholders stated this in a media briefing to make clarifications over the allegations Obi leveled against one of the major stakeholders of the market, Mr. Ifechukwu Anozie, who is popularly refered to as the voice of the people.
Speaking with newsmen, Mr. Anozie (Voice of the people) said that Mr. Obi accused him of disturbing the peace of the market and; stopping him ( Obi) and his men from collecting Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Anozie however, said that the allegations were unfounded, stating that it was because he wanted to expose Obi and his gang who he said were only directed by the Anambra State Government to collect Tax and Development levies pending the determination of the court case and not to run the affairs of the Market.
Anozie equally accused Mr Obi and his gang of shortchanging the Anambra State Government, alleging that they were not remitting the actual money they collected from traders to government.
He said they have over three thousand seven hundred shops, four hundred attachments and more eighty plazas which he said they were directed to be remitting over 15milion naira yearly, but he said they have been remiting only between N5m and N4m naira.
He further alleged that Obi has his personal receipts as against the instruction of the the Anambra State Government, stressing that Obi is not a BoT member as such the Constitution of the market does not allow him to pilot the affairs of Electronics Dealers Associations in absence of a duly elected chairman.
Anozie gave the names of the BOT members as follows : Benjamin Anyanwu, Dona Onyiloha, Nnameka Nwanna, Philip Iheanacho, Simon Nwakwo, Gunis and Gozac .
He called on Anambra State Government to investigate whatever he said to find out the truth.
” Mr Donatus Obi knew I am saying nothing but the truth. That is why he is looking for every possible means to accuse me wrongly. He doesn’t want to be sincere with Anambra State Government. Secondly, going by our constitution, he is not qualified to rule Electronics Dealers Association Market Onitsha. Traders will bear me witness that I have told them severally to go and pay their taxes and Development levy”.
Another stakeholder, Mr. Chinedu Ochife, who spoke in tandem with Mr Anozie said Mr Obi was collecting about five levies instead of the tax and development levies as directed by the Anambra State Government, saying that Obi and thugs beat up their customers on daily basis.
Mr Ochife noted that the actions of these people drive away customers from Anambra State and called on Anambra State Government to quickly intervene.
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