Tension in Onitsha over revenue collection

There is tension in Onitsha, the Anambra State commercial hub centre over the alleged diversion of proceeds from the state government Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) at the Ozomagala Building Materials Traders Association.
The state government had directed market leaders to collect development levies and direct tax assessment from traders, threatening to shut down markets, which failed to comply with the payment as well as suspend the market leader.
However, trouble started at Ozomagala, when the chairman of the market, Okey Mojekwu, allegedly remitted little amount of money he allegedly collected from the market from 2012 to 2015.
Mojekwu could only remit N129,000 instead of about N1,53000, he suppose to pay as direct tax assessment.
Consequently, the chairman of Onitsha South Shop Owners Traders Association (OSSTA), Chief Eric Uwaoma, went to the market at the weekend with the officials of the state Ministry of Commerce to enforce the payment of the levy and tax.
The chairman of the market and some prominent members of the market prevailed on the team that they should be given time to pay.
Although, most of the traders said they had paid to the chairman, Mojekwu insisted that it was what was paid to him that he remitted to the bank, assuring that he would still encourage his members to pay if given time.
Uwaoma, however, said they were at the market at the instance of Governor Willie Obiano and frowned at those who had constituted themselves into a stumbling block to the success of the collection of the state IGR, particularly the leadership of Ozomagala market.
Uwaoma alleged that there was fraud in the collection of levies and taxes by the chairman of Ozomagala, adding  that instead of using the Ministry of Commerce and the official state tax receipts, the union receipts were used.
He said contrary to claims by the traders that they had paid taxes and levies for the past three years, the money remitted by their chairman do not indicate so.
However, the Department of State Security (DSS) in the state has waded into the matter, inviting Mojekwu for questioning.