Abiodu Alabi replaces Odumosu as Lagos Commissioner of Police

The Inspector General of Police, Alkali Usman Baba has approved the deployment of Abiodun Alabi, former Commissioner of Police, Bauchi state to take over from Hakeem Odumosu as Lagos State Police Commissioner.

This is coming following the Odumosu’s plan to retire from service in the next few days, after completing his statutory age.  Recall that he was recently promoted to the rank of AIG.

CP Alabi, was last month deployed from Bauchi to Force Headquarters Abuja. He hails from Ekiti State. He had once served as DPO in Lagos then as Mobile Squadron Commander in two different Mobile Squadrons also in Lagos where he quelled several riots. He later moved to Bayelsa and Taraba states as a DCP.

He is described amongst the ranks and files in Lagos Command as a tough yet simple officer every police not intimate officers who work under him.

Read More

Sanwoolu approves consolidated N800 transport levy Lagos commercial buses

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwoolu has approved the document for the collection of N800 as Informal Transport Sector harmonised levy to be collected by government tax officers from commercial motorists at parks and garages across the State.

The Governor on Tuesday  signed the agreement with the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, and other commercial transporters operators.

The levy according to the Governor mandates commercial driver operating in the state to pay a consolidated levy of N800 which will be shared among government agencies and local governments.

Based on the agreement the government agencies expected to share the N800 collected are LAWMA, LIRS, LASEPA, Ministry of Transportation, Local Governments, among others relevant agencies.

Tax officers working for LGs  are therefore urged not collect levy from commercial drivers anymore as their share has been included in the N800 levy per day for a commercial driver.

All commercial bus drivers will now be issued tax cards by the Lagos Internal Revenue Service, LIRS, annually for paying the N800 daily and roughly around N24,000 monthly.

At the signing of the agreement at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Rabiu Olowo, explained that the fees covered monies for not just the local government alone, but also that of clearing waste from the motor parks paid to LAWMA, and pollution dues which was collected by LASEPA.

According to Olowo personal income taxes of the drivers would also be deducted from the levy.

“The consolidated transport levy will include the personal income tax of the drivers, include cost of taking care of parks, include money for Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA; LG money and others,” he said.

Olowo said the need to harmonise the transport collection levy process became paramount as other associations have template for collecting their dues.

He said from findings, a commercial bus driver pay as much as N3,000 as levy on daily basis to the various unions and government agencies, saying that has now been pegged at N800 per driver.

“We want to reduce the fees payable. The levy will consolidate all levies; we want to build a reliable data base to know those who are doing businesses in our state. Bus drivers will get tax card.

“We want to bring about collaborative effort. It is imperative for Lagosians to know this is a remarkable achievement.

“An average danfo driver pay N3,000 daily. Once they pay from the point of entry, that is all. It is N800 charge per day,” Olowo concluded.

 

Read More