Otti squeezing Aba traders with huge taxes, APC chieftain alleges

Paul Ikonne, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has accused the Abia state government of imposing harsh taxes on traders in Aba.

Ikonne, who spoke through Ujo Justice, his chief press secretary, said the administration’s revenue policies are crippling the commercial lifeline of the state.

He said traders in Ariaria International Market who previously paid N18,000 annually are now charged over N36,000 per shop.

“With more than 88,000 shops in Ariaria alone, this translates to an outrageous N3.1 billion annually,” he said.

Ikonne added that the same trend of suffocating taxes is being experienced at Ekeoha Shopping Centre, Timber Market and other trade hubs in Aba.

“Why should Aba traders — the very heartbeat of commerce in southern Nigeria — be strangled by such reckless and selfish-driven taxation?” he queried.

The APC chieftain accused Alex Otti, Abia state governor, of reneging on his campaign promise of lower taxes for Aba traders, insisting that instead of relief, his administration is exploiting “the sweat of hardworking businessmen and women”.

He criticised the alleged abandonment of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the previous administration, which he said guaranteed traders the right to reclaim their shops after remodelling.

“That agreement has been thrown into oblivion, leaving traders displaced, frustrated and at the mercy of government manipulation,” he said.

Ikonne further condemned reports that traders in Ariaria are asked to pay as much as N15 million to reclaim shops after remodelling, describing it as an “anti-trader policy” that compounds hardship.

He said the monthly federation allocation of over N30 billion to Abia, in addition to over N100 million to local governments, should be enough to provide modern, well-equipped markets without overburdening traders.

“There is no justification for squeezing Aba traders dry when government has the financial capacity to build these markets and still provide essential infrastructure,” he said.

He asked the governor to reverse the tax regime, honour the MoU with traders, and prioritise visible, people-centred governance.

“A government that punishes Aba traders, who drive the state’s economy and feed Nigeria’s commerce, has already failed the people it claims to serve,” he said.