By Bunmi Adebayo
This article serves as a sequel to a previous piece I wrote on this topic, offering solutions to the socio-economic issues at hand. The solutions are proposed based on the following assumptions:
1. The recent legitimization of the new Local Government authority by the Nigerian Supreme Court necessitates timely intervention.
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2. The influence of the NURTW and road transport workers, fueled by their financial power(slush funds), could hinder the full implementation of local government autonomy. Instances where Road transport union leaders dictate local Government election winners and appointments have been observed.
3. With local government autonomy, the management of parks and garages will fall under their jurisdiction, and the taxes collected will contribute to their IGR.
4. The local governments may lack sufficient qualified personnel and security network personnel to collect taxes from parks and garages due to the sector’s nature.
5. The substantial funds available to the NUTRW leadership have transformed the union into a quasi-government. For instance, the NURTW of Lagos state was reported to have remitted N123bn to the state Government in 2021, an amount that could service the annual budget of Nasarawa, Niger, and Yobe states combined. This alarming trend needs to be curtailed.
6. Bus conductors differ from NURTW agents, known as “Agbero”, who solely collect taxes and do not work as drivers or bus conductors.
7. The current NURTW leadership in most states does not meet the qualifications for union membership as they are primarily road transport owners, which has its own association. Union laws applicable only to employees should be enforced, and these elements should be advised to join the Road transport owner’s association.
Given these assumptions, I propose the following recommendations:
1. The Federal Government should advise local Government administrations to outsource the collection of rates and taxes from parks and garages to private corporate bodies capable of tax enumeration, collection, accounting, and providing adequate security.
2. These private entities should be encouraged to employ any employable road transport worker currently engaged as Agbero, and train them under their own SOP (standard operating procedure) and rules of engagement developed by the local Government with assistance from FRSC.
3. Local Governments should make certification by the Division of motor vehicles compulsory for Bus conductors. No bus conductor can serve in a park and Garage without undergoing training and certification. No driver of public transport can hire any conductor without certification without penalty. The training with a standard syllabus from FRSC can be for 40 hours either in the local Native language or English. Meanwhile, all conductors working for public transport must have uniforms and registration badges with identification attached to it. This is to distinguish bus conductors from Agberos working for NURTW, who only engage in tax collection and also accountability.
4. Outgoing Agberos or NURTW workers will have the option to either certify as a licensed commercial motor driver or submit to regulated employment with the new private corporate bodies engaged by the local government for the collection of taxes at parks and garages.
5. With these solutions to absorb the bus conductors and the NURTW tax collectors, there wouldn’t be any fear of unemployment or displacement, but now working under organized and civil engagement that’s not detrimental to the public and social standards.
6. The activities of the tax collectors for the outsourced will be managed by the private corporate bodies and subject to the Laws of the federal republic of Nigeria, where , if any civil right is violated, the companies will be liable, and no tax collector can hide under the NUTRW to perpetrate mayhem or under the cover of Government to abuse the populace in the streets.
**Benefits of Outsourced Tax Collection to corporate bodies at Motor Parks and Garages:**
Outsourcing tax collection to corporate agencies can potentially streamline the process and bring several benefits, especially when it involves employing former road transport workers (Agberos) under a structured system. Here’s how it could help:
**Professionalism and Efficiency:** Corporate agencies specialize in their fields and can bring a level of professionalism and efficiency to tax collection that might be lacking in informal arrangements.
**Accountability:** With clear contracts and legal obligations, these private agencies are accountable for their actions, reducing the risk of corruption, abuse of civil rights and ensuring compliance with government regulations.
**Employment Opportunities:** Former road transport workers can be employed by these agencies, providing them with stable jobs and reducing their reliance on informal and sometimes coercive means of income.
**Employment of Skilled workers:** More skilled and educated workers will get opportunities for employment in the industry thereby reducing unemployment among Nigerian graduates. Many of those corporations will have needs for accounting staff, accountants, Lawyers, Human Resource personnel, administrative and security staffs to run such concession for tax collection effectively.
**Standardized Practices:** Corporate agencies can implement standardized practices for tax collection, ensuring fairness and consistency across the board.
**Government Oversight:** The government can set rules of engagement and monitor these agencies closely, ensuring that they operate within the bounds of the law and respect citizens’ rights.
**Reduction of Political Influence:** By removing tax collection from the political sphere, it reduces the opportunity for politicians to use tax collectors as tools for political gain.
**Improved Public Perception:** A more formal and transparent system can improve public perception of the tax collection process, leading to higher compliance rates.
**Economic Growth:** Properly managed tax collection can lead to more accurate and efficient revenue generation, which can be reinvested into the community for economic growth.
**Training and Development:** Corporate agencies can provide training and development for their employees, improving skills and professionalism in the workforce.
**Legal Protection for Workers:** As employees of a corporate entity, former road transport workers would have legal protections and benefits, such as health insurance and pensions, which they might not have had before.
By outsourcing to corporate agencies under government-dictated rules of engagement, the tax collection process can become more reliable, transparent, and beneficial for all stakeholders involved and the larger society. This will also make employment available to educated and teeming youths rather than entrust billions of Naira to otherwise unqualified people and thereby creating street monsters to the detriment of able-bodied and educated Nigerians. It’s a step towards formalizing the economy, correcting the social economic structural menace and providing a more equitable system for workers and taxpayers alike. This approach will not only address the socio-economic issues but also provide a more equitable system for workers and taxpayers alike.
©️ ‘Bunmi Adebayo
Bunmi is a US-based Public affairs analyst, and formerly Special Adviser, ICT, Ogun State
