Call your Transport Commissioner to Order, Speed Boats Operators/Jetty Owners tell Governor Okowa

Speed Boats Operators and Jetty Owners has appealed to Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa to call his Commissioner for Transport, Ovie Oghoore to order, alleging that the Commissioner was trying to super impose levies on them without creating a level playing ground for operators.

This came after the office of the Commissioner for Transport on Friday, April 2, 2021 issued a statement that the approved levies for speed boats and local boats were N5,000 and N7,500; and that a wide consultation with stakeholders and various maritime union were held before the implementation of the Levies on Maritime sector and the approved sole consultant to carry out the collections.

But the Speed boats Operators and Jetty Owners of Ogbe-Ijoh Waterside, rejected the Levis allegedly imposed on them by the Commissioner, saying that they are not aware of any Stakeholders meeting held with any Speed boats Operators or jetty owners concerning payments of levies.

In a statement signed by Mr Johnbull Smooth, Chairman Oghulagha Speed Boats Operators, Ogbe-ijoh/ Warri Branch, Madam Dorphin, Owner of Madam Dorphin Jetty/Speed Boats Operators Warri, Tibyti Bileke, Chairman Mila Waterside (Creek) Speed Boats Operators and Bolougbene Debole Godfrey, Chairman Ayakoromor Jetty/Speed boats Operators Ogbeijoh/Warri Branch, on behalf of the Speed boats Operators and jetty owners said;

“We observed that the Commissioner is creating avenue for his Isoko people by bringing in a fellow Isoko man as a consultant to be collecting Levies from the Ijaw people thereby enslaving them. But we will not accept this, we will not allow it to happen.

“The speed Boats Operators and Jetty Owners has never held a meeting with the Commissioner for Transport concerning the payment of levies or tax revenue to the state government. The people he claimed to have held meeting with are Maritime Workers and not speed Boats Operators or Jetty Owners.

“We therefore, strongly appeal to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to quickly call his Commissioner for Transport to order because he is looking for ways to empower his Isoko people. The speed Boats business is purely the Ijaw Business and now he wants to use our sweat to empower his Isoko brother. But this will not work.” They stated.