PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED BYELAWS ORGANIZED BY THE 10TH LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF OBIO-AKPOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL, RUMUODOMAYA, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA.
- Mr. Leader, Rt. Hon. Rex Millia Abuchi Amadi, permit me to rely on the well-established protocol. I congratulate the 10th Legislative Assembly of Obio-Akpor Local Government Council for this laudable programme on participatory engagement in the art of legislation—the first of its kind in the annals of our dear LGA; a measure designed, in my opinion, to elicit the people’s commitment to robust legislation.
- OBSERVATIONS
i. It is sad to observe that Mr. Leader could not protect his own when he failed to recognize, at the public hearing, their most senior colleagues, the likes of Eze Ken Iwezor and my humble self, both of whom were Hon. Councilors in the First Obio-Akpor Legislative Assembly (1991–1993), which in our estimation was most unsavory.
ii. The hearing notices did not receive adequate publicity, which apparently accounted for the low turnout. Besides, copies of the proposed byelaws were not sent to the respondents and invitees ahead of time, nor were they widely published in the media, electronically or in print—a measure that would have exposed the participants to the intendment and the desirability or otherwise of the proposed byelaws for effective contributions. This flaw no doubt affected the presentation and quality of the desired inputs.
- OBIO-AKPOR TENEMENT RATE ADMINISTRATION BILL, 2026:
Tenement Rate is a fee, levy, or tax imposed and collected by Local Government Councils in Nigeria on a property, developed or not, which is identifiably occupied; and it is a major source of revenue for development.
The rate at any given time is based on existing laws and regulations, and collection is carried out by an authorized Agent(s) of the Local Government Council. It is a standard practice all over the world that tax policies and administration must be equitable and progressive.
In public administration, there appears to be a consensus among practitioners that there exists a huge gap between policy formulation and implementation. It is argued, and reasonably so, that it is at the implementation stage that most policies fail, apparently because the majority of implementers lack the requisite knowledge, creativity, expertise, and courage to drive the policies.
This has given rise to the use of “task forces” in Nigeria’s model for quick results. These task forces, in most cases, are inexperienced and lacking in character as well as the methodology of a 21st-century scientific outlook. Some task force committee members are mere brutes and swindlers.
Digitalization of revenue collection, which would have been the best option in the circumstances, may also not fill the gap due to the high rate of illiteracy and ignorance in our society.
- MY ADVICE AND CAUTION
i. Any rate to be provided for in this byelaw should be equitable and responsive to the extent that it answers profound questions as to how much is to be levied, the basis of assessment, the anticipated payer and his economic situation, who collects the levy, the method of collection, the anticipated cost of collection vis-à-vis total realizable income, and above all, the image of our Local Government Council on the global platform.
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ii. If you intend to make provisions for the use of task forces in the byelaws, I respectfully urge you to consider the use of public servants (council staff), who will be nominated by the Head of Personnel Management (HPM) to head the task force committees; a few of them may also be considered as members. The wisdom behind this is that any council staff heading a committee will be expected to deploy civility and professionalism in handling their assignments, thus helping to curb the excesses and nuisances of task forces as presently perceived.
In addition, every task force committee public servant member or head is aware that, by their rules of engagement, their careers, jobs, and integrity will be at stake, as they could be held accountable for any lapses or irregularities of a member, which may lead to a query, suspension, or termination of appointment. It is common knowledge that current task force committee members see their assignments as ad hoc and, more essentially, as political patronage and dividends of democracy, which has regrettably informed their approach and attitude towards their engagements.
iii. Allied to this is the issue of multiple taxation and charges from state and non-state actors, oftentimes imposed on business outfits in the Local Government Area. It goes without saying that investors and small and medium business owners are passing through untold hardship from the activities of these “Tax Masters” who have the backing of the State Government and its agencies. Take, for instance, the livestock industry and related investments, such as abattoirs or slaughterhouses, cattle rearing, and dealers.
Every slaughterhouse operating in Obio-Akpor, like many other business outfits, is inundated daily with several demand notices and requests, including visits by numerous workers/staff of the Veterinary Department of the Ministry of Agriculture; departments of the Ministries of Health and Environment; the Rivers State Sanitation Authority; and Obio-Akpor LGA Task Forces on Tenement Rate, Renewal of Operational Permits, and the Obio-Akpor Sanitation Unit and Health Officers. The list is inexhaustible. These payments are taking their toll on investors’ marginal profits.
iv. This raises fundamental moral questions of integrity, character, and the heavy burden of responsibility on our collective leadership of the Local Government Council, especially regarding our professed commitment to “the article of faith” on the “ease of doing business in Obio-Akpor”. Permit me, Mr. Leader, to hold that this unwholesome practice by Local Government Councils and other state actors in Rivers State and the Niger Delta Region, among other factors, accounts for the flight of many business establishments and, sadly, the relocation of most multinational companies’ head offices to Lagos and Abuja.
Mr. Leader, sir, it is apposite at this juncture to rhetorically ask: where is the boundary line between the various Rivers State Ministries, Agencies, and Departments and the Local Government Councils with respect to revenue generation and collection? This is without prejudice to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria regarding the Exclusive, Concurrent, and Residual legislative lists.
v. This problem is further compounded by the unwholesome meddlesomeness of all the communities where these business outfits operate in Obio-Akpor. This is done through extraneous actors, such as Youth Associations, Community Development Committees (CDCs), Traditional Rulers’ councils, and so many other omnibus stakeholders that impose all sorts of levies and charges—ranging from security, family, community development, sanitation, electricity, markets and shops, and supply of diesel to telecommunication providers, to trucks delivering building materials to sites, loading and unloading of vessels for amphibious communities, Point of Sale (POS) operators, etc.
How many of these business operators and investors, in your judgment and good conscience, can survive or thrive under such a harsh economic environment? Mr. Leader, the situation is precarious and the next turn of events is predictable, but the time to act is now. Winston Churchill opined that history would be kind to him, for he intended to write it.
- MY ADVICE AND CAUTION
i. The 10th Legislative Assembly of Obio-Akpor should prevail on the Executive Chairman of the Council, Hon. Dr. Gift N. Worlu, to immediately convoke a confab of all paramount Rulers (Nde Eze Nmgbu) and their second-in-command (government-recognized or not), First-Class Government-Recognized Ezes, Venerables, the Clergy, academia, and other critical stakeholders—including but not limited to all Youth Association Presidents, Chairmen of all Community Development Committees, and such other persons or personalities—to discuss this retrogressive phenomenon in which all paramount Rulers are perceived to be complicit.
Their denial and plea of alibi notwithstanding, common sense and public opinion insist that neither youth bodies nor Community Development Committees would embark on such an expedition in their village without the consent and approval of their Royal Father (Nye Nweli), who is ostensibly believed to be a colossus. Who then is fooling whom? Conscience, it is said, is an open wound that only truth can heal. There is no gainsaying that making Obio-Akpor Local Government Area a safe haven for investors is not only a task, but a shared responsibility and commitment.
ii. The confab, if convened, may also resolve to advise the Council Chairman on the need to constitute a committee (ad hoc or standing) to monitor and advise him on ways to collaborate with experts to ameliorate the current pains of business operators and investors, while also considering communities’ genuine efforts in revenue generation and self-reliance.
iii. The 10th Legislative Assembly may wish to urge the Council Chairman to liaise with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Rivers State branch, or personally interface with relevant state ministries, agencies, and departments (such as Agriculture, Health, Environment, Sanitation Authority, Local Government Service Commission, Board of Internal Revenue, etc.) to identify areas of conflict, encroachment, and interference in revenue collection. Currently, there is a document from the Rivers State Ministry of Justice that offers clarification and legal advice on this subject. I am privileged to have a copy.
- ANTI-LAND GRABBING, LAWFUL OCCUPATION AND DEVELOPMENT REGULATION BILL, 2026
Land grabbing is a nightmare that has been with us for ages. It involves a deliberate and sustained design to dispossess someone of their land. At its early stage of development decades ago, it adopted the conventional methodology of conspiracy, connivance, intimidation, intrigue, harassment, and bribery by a family, community, or influential persons to dispossess a weaker party of their land or property, oftentimes with the support or connivance of the community’s leadership.
It could take the form of boundary disputes, encroachment, or taking over the entire portion or parcel of another party’s land. Sometimes in arbitration, the arbitrator(s) would award the disputed land to their favorite party even when evidence to the contrary was overwhelming, later collecting gratification or sharing the land with the “victorious” party.
Most often than not, some irresponsible Ezes and Paramount Rulers shamelessly instigate these criminals—a practice very common now—to maliciously lay strong claims to a property that does not belong to them, or one that their family, uncle, or late father had genuinely sold. When the matter is brought to their palace for settlement, they maneuver the process and brazenly award the land to the criminal, or through subterfuge compel the rightful owner (now defendant) to pay a huge sum of money to the claimant (“criminal”) or forfeit the property.
This unwholesome practice, which our society is helplessly battling to contend with, has reduced us to a state of nature where might is right and weakness is slavery, such that upcoming generations may be deluded into thinking that the values of merit, diligence, hard work, and honesty are deceptive and unrewarding.
Today, land grabbing has metamorphosed into a monster in contemporary society through a well-crafted, complex network using non-conventional methods. These include unleashing terror and mayhem, and oftentimes the assassination of victims or suspected/real contenders in adverse confrontations with impunity, relying on the protection and assurances of collaboration from irresponsible state actors, institutions, Traditional Rulers (especially Paramount Rulers), Youth Leaders, and influential stakeholders in their communities.
Sadly, these miscreants in our communities or neighboring communities who flaunt their ill-gotten wealth (the products of land grabbing) are recognized and rewarded with chieftaincy titles, positions of authority, or responsibility. They are given front seats in public gatherings—including in some religious centers—by our community leadership for what they consider their “selfless contributions to the growth and development of their communities” and the quantum of Greek gifts and goodwill given to their people. Of course, you know that when money speaks, no one checks the grammar, which is a manifestation of a psychosis virus in a system.
MY ADVICE AND CAUTION
i. To address this monster audaciously de-marketing our dear Local Government Area and marking us out as a callous and non-responsive Local Government Council among the comity of Local Governments in Nigeria, and to remedy our battered image, it is recommended that the Obio-Akpor Local Government Council establish, as a matter of urgency, a functional office and appoint an officer of Grade Level 13 or above as Director.
This Director will be charged with the responsibility of receiving reports and complaints (verbal or written) on land grabbing and related matters, collating the same, and presenting them to a standing or ad hoc committee of five or seven members to be established and inaugurated by the Executive Chairman of Obio-Akpor Local Government Council. The committee shall be made up of credible, venerable citizens of Nigeria from all walks of life, including but not limited to Traditional Rulers, a serving or retired Police Officer not below the rank of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), a Legal Practitioner, a Religious Leader, and the Chairmen and Presidents of the Joint Community Development Committees and Youth Associations of all the communities that make up Obio-Akpor Local Government Area (the central Youth and CDC bodies).
The Director or his appointee will serve as the Secretary of the Committee. The committee may be charged with further responsibilities as the Council Chairman may consider necessary in achieving its objectives.
ii. It is further recommended that the Council Chairman establish a central joint committee of the presidents and chairmen of Youth Associations and Community Development Committees in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area. This body will meet regularly with the Council Chairman, relevant stakeholders, committees, and agencies to discuss and advise the chairman on matters relating to security, youth and community development, education, skills acquisition, and the general well-being of our people.
- Finally, Mr. Leader, it is noteworthy that the issues and concerns raised herein be factored in as you deliberate on the Byelaws. I wish you blissful and fruitful deliberations.
WORDS ON MARBLE
“The inability of man to learn from history is not the fault of history, but of man.” — Comiskey Ekiye
“Flattery is the perfume of monsters. Truth may hurt, but flattery will bury you.”
I so submit, and most respectfully too, Mr. Leader.
Tony A. Chuku
