• Attachment Of Policemen To VIPs, Wealthy Nigerians Should Be Stopped, Say Arewa Chieftain, CLO
• Number Of Cars On The Convoy Of Political Office Holders Should Be Reduced To Barest Minimum – Nwachukwu
• What Nigerians Need Now Are Deliberate Policies That Will Bring Down Cost Of Living – Friday

Against the backdrop of the recent decision by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to scrap toll exemptions for all Very Important Persons (VIPs) and top government officials at the airports, Nigerians have called for the abolishment of more privileges enjoyed by the affected individuals.

While commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for taking the bold step in approving that himself and all government officials must now pay tolls and parking fees at the airports, they called for the judicious use of funds generated from the tollgates.

They also urged the President to ensure the enforcement of the new directive.

The FEC had at its meeting on Tuesday, May 14, this year, announced that President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and other top Nigerian government officials would now to pay access fees at the toll points of the airports across the country.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who made the announcement, said the approval for this category of Nigerians to start paying the fees was given following a memo he presented at the FEC meeting

His words: “For the aviation sector, we presented two memos and got two approvals.

“The first approval that we sought and obtained was with the respect to mandatory payments of access fees by all visitors at our federal airport tollgates nationwide. No more exemption. No more exemption.

“When we came to office, we met a tradition on the ground where at the end of the year, all manner of VIPs would approach us for what they call complimentary e-tags or complimentary stickers whereby you see them coming into our airports nationwide. They don’t pay the access fees. They don’t pay for parking, they don’t pay for essential services at airports and they are VIPs.

“And I told myself and my team, not under my watch. It will not happen. If this tradition has existed for years, I will not allow it to happen; because it is inconceivable that in our country it is the VIPs that don’t pay for services but it is the poor men that pay for services. The VIPs were supposed to have money to pay for services but they compel poor men to pay for services. And I said no.

“So, I got my team together. I said we need the backing of Council to compel everybody. In fact, guess what? Our memo says with the exception of the president and the vice president. And the president overruled me and said he and the vice president will pay. He said everybody.”

Reacting to the development, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) stated that whether the tolls are paid or not, it would always be at the expense of the suffering people because the very important persons that were not paying it before now have nothing to lose.

The Executive Director of the CLO, Ibuchukwu Ezike, noted that any reform or executive order by the Presidency that does not address the current suffering in the land should be seen as a non-issue.

Ezike said: “I don’t really see any importance that is attached to this announcement or cancellation. So, for us in the CLO, it is a non-issue”

Prodded to speak on the benefits of the decision, Ezike added: “The benefits are to them not to the suffering and hungry Nigerians. Will that policy bring down the pump prices of petroleum products especially fuel, gas and kerosene that poor Nigerians use or the rate of dollar to naira or chase the killer herdsmen away from the farms so that our farmers across the country can go back to their farms to produce foods in good quantity for the masses? Will it restructure Nigeria and kill the master-servant syndrome in the country?

“Nigerians are hungry; house rents have risen above the poor. Our education system has collapsed; many brilliant and intelligent children are out of school because of poverty and our people are killed like fowls being offered to idols while foreigners have taken over Nigeria and are committing all kinds of crimes against our people. Corruption has risen to the highest level and so on.

“In Nigeria, today, government has zero tolerance and respect for the Fiscal Responsibility Act as the federal, state and local governments award contracts without recourse to this Act. Employment interviews are secretly conducted and people who are connected who do not know how to write their names let alone know the work for which they are employed. This is one of the major ills killing Nigeria today. Toll exemption is the least of Nigerians’ problems.”

Ezike, however, called for the scrapping of other VIP treatments including the deployment of police personnel to protect one public officer or wealthy person while communities are left to their fate.

“Assignment of many police offers to one VIP should be scrapped. Assignment of many official vehicles to one person while millions are at the bus stops waiting for buses under the rain and sunshine should be scrapped; the money for the purchase of VIP vehicles should be used to float buses for the masses.

“CLO would want the Immunity Clause in the constitution revoked so that if the president or his/her vice commits crimes or governors and their deputies commit crimes, they should be promptly prosecuted. Immunity Clause was planted in the constitution by the thieving military dictators, which our corrupt politicians have continued to retain because they have the intention to loot, plunder and steal.

“Lastly is the issue of security votes. We do not advocate its scrapping but that it must be subject to legislative approval like the budgets and prone to probe after each quarter. The reason for collecting security votes must be genuine and credible,” he added.

Speaking in the same vein, the Coordinator of Advocates of Rights and Justice, Helen Nwachukwu, stated that there was nothing to celebrate about the development, explaining that the affected officials would not pay the toll from their pockets.

“It is tax payers’ money that they would use to fund the toll gate fees not their personal money. So, there should be no excitement about it.

“Nigeria is structured in a manner that the suffering people will continue to pay for the welfare of the elite and those in elective offices. Why would President Tinubu not use the same executive fiat in scrapping other issues that have hindered the growth of the country?

“Nigerians are passing through difficult times. So, what I am expecting is an opportunity that can put food on the table of the people and not scrapping of toll exemptions. Whether they pay or not has nothing to do with the poor. This is something those who think out some of these things don’t understand,” she said.

Nwachukwu said her organisation has been advocating for a reduction in the salaries and allowances of public officials.

“We have been saying that these officials are not doing better than those in other professions but all the appeals have fallen to deaf ears. Look at the current disagreement between labour and the Federal Government over minimum wage. Is it supposed to be an issue if the government is people friendly?

“Cost of materials in the market is on the high side after President Tinubu removed fuel subsidy. Since that ugly incident, what has he done to ameliorate the suffering of the people? Since the removal of this subsidy, more money is entering the pocket of the government. But what we see is that instead of using it rescue the people, they are using it to empower the governors who are gradually turning into tyrants in their various states.”

Nwachukwu called for the reduction of the number of cars on the convoy of governors and other political office holders to the barest minimum.

“Whatever anybody is saying without addressing the cost of governance, the person is wasting his time. Tolls they were not paying at the airports have nothing to do with the economy. The ones that will make needed impacts are being glossed over because that is where they make their money. But if we are sincere with our callings, we should be able to work for the people,” she said.

On his part, Michael Friday said the move is part of President Tinubu’s re-election strategies.

Friday, who expressed anger at the current economic situation and suffering in the country, maintained that the move would not bring any remedy to the citizens from the current hardship.

Friday, who is a public administrator, argued that with the depth of corruption in the country,  those in power will still swindle the proceeds generated from the toll gates and leave common Nigerians to continue to suffer.

He maintained that what the nation needs at the moment are deliberate policies, actions and monitoring that would reduce the pump price of petrol, scale up the value of the naira and reduce the high cost of foods and transportation.

“These are just what can help the Nigerian economy to bounce back; scrapping toll exemptions for VIPs with the current economic situation in the country is like pouring water on a stone. It will have no impact. If the Federal Government doesn’t know what to do to remedy our situation, it should seek advice from sincere people not greedy politicians,” he noted.

Some residents of Rivers State, however, commended the government, describing the decision as a welcome development.

According a policy and public affairs analyst, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, payment of toll fees by VIPs would help to raise more money for the running of government and addressing citizens’ needs.

“Nigerian government officials are known to drive fleet of cars with escort vehicles to the airports. Thus, the payment of access tolls and parking fees would increase airport revenue and demonstrate leading by example. These benefits are important to address our ailing tax revenues,” he said.

Fyneface, who is the Executive Director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), urged the Tinubu administration to go a step further and scrap the use of presidential jets and even official vehicles and escorts by presidents, ministers, governors and other government officials for non-official functions.

“Besides, those government officials that were not elected by Nigerians, including members of the president’s family flying the presidential fleet with Mr. President, should be made to pay to use the fleet with Mr. President,” he added.

Former Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) General Secretary, Elder Anthony Sani, also commended the decision, saying the government needs to shore up revenue from available sources.

“I see nothing wrong in payments at airports’ parking space and toll gates by the President and other government top functionaries. This is because these public facilities are maintained with resources which are obtained through taxes,” Sani said.

He, however, noted that “the only caution is for the authorities to note that taxes should reflect the health level of the economy.”

He said the benefits of such taxes or levies coming from the VIPs “would be that the maintenance of such facilities would be made easier and vandalisation of public utilities would reduce substantially because the public would own such facilities.”

Sani also stated that “policemen and soldiers attached to VIP should be reduced and freed to secure the nation.”

The Executive Director, Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODA), Wale Adeoye, also welcomed idea.

He said: “Leaders should always try to set a very good example for the country. The fact that private people, who worked hard for their money are made to pay tolls and people who earn their salaries from taxpayers’ money, who are given free accommodation, free health services, free cars and stupendous salaries are not paying tolls of N1000 and N500, is a nullification of the principle of the rule of law. In a normal country, all of us should be seen as equal before the law. Even though we know that there is immunity for the president and governors there is no immunity from paying tax. It is a bad policy right from the beginning that top officials of government, including elected politicians, are exempted from paying tolls at the airports.

“They have been setting very terrible examples for the country. They are saying that they are above economic laws that guide the country. The annulment of the policy is a very good thing that ought to have been done a long time ago,” Adeoye said.

The human rights crusader, however, said the problem with the development would be enforcement. “Will the government be able to enforce the new policy?” he asked rhetorically.

He also urged the government to scrap the privileges for lawmakers who continue to buy Sport Utility Vehicles worth hundreds of millions of naira every term with taxpayers’ money.

“This is encouraging corruption. This policy destroys the nation’s economy and entrenches institutionalised corruption. The toll we are talking about is just about N500 to N1000,” he added.

Describing the development as laughable, Deputy Chairman, Joint Action Fronts, Achike Chude, said it is incumbent on President Tinubu to tell Nigerians how much it would save by asking VIPs to pay tolls at the airport.

He said Nigerians should be told what the money they want to realise would be used for.

“We want to know if the money will used to upgrade the airport or not. Nigerians want to be convinced that the policy is the right thing to do now otherwise people have the impression that this government is simply out to make policies that are meant to impoverish the people,” he said.

He noted that the impression about President Tinubu is that the government simply sits down and thinks about how to make money from the people without looking at the consequences economically.

“Maybe they want to instill some discipline by making the rich go through what the people are facing; but that would be absolutely hypocritical and a misplacement of the understanding of the socio-economic crises that we have.

“What Nigerians are facing now is not about compelling some few people to pay between N500 to N1000 at the airports. The officials we are talking about are multi millionaires. I am yet to see the economic value and how it will benefit the people,” he noted.