Commercial drivers and business owners in Enugu State on Wednesday took to the streets to protest alleged excessive taxation and rising petrol prices.
Gatekeepers News reports that videos shared on X showed hundreds of tricycle riders, minibus drivers and traders gathered at major commercial areas, including Ogbete Main Market, Old Park and the Holy Ghost axis.
The protesters blocked parts of major roads and transport hubs, restricting movement into the city’s commercial centre and causing traffic congestion in the affected areas.
The demonstration was reportedly triggered by concerns over daily levies and other charges imposed on transport operators and traders. Some protesters also said the rising cost of petrol had made it increasingly difficult to operate their businesses.
Police officers were deployed to the Ogbete-Holy Ghost area to maintain order and prevent a breakdown of law and order.
The protest comes weeks after Ekene Nnamani, chairman of the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS), defended the state’s tax reforms, saying internally generated revenue (IGR) from the informal sector had increased from less than N100 million annually to N7.4 billion following the consolidation of levies through a technology-driven system.
Nnamani said the central e-ticketing system was introduced to eliminate illegal road tolls and multiple collections by government agencies, including the Enugu State Waste Management Authority, Enugu State Environmental and Climate Change Agency and local government councils.
Under the system, traders pay N36,000 annually, while transport operators make consolidated daily payments.
However, protesters alleged that the reforms had increased their financial burden, claiming that daily operational taxes had risen from N350 to N1,000 over the past 20 months.
Speaking with TheCable, Uchechukwu Anichukwu, media aide to Peter Mbah, governor of Enugu, dismissed the claim that the protest was driven by “heavy taxation” and said it was instead linked to the government’s directive that commercial drivers operate from designated parks.
Asked about the participation of traders in the protest, Anichukwu said they were “simply trying to cash in on the situation”.
