In Anambra State, new taxes and rates have been announced for waste collection and management by the Anambra State Waste Management Authority (ASWAMA). The move has elicited different reactions from residents. EMMA ELEKWA reports
Reactions – both positive and negative – have trailed new taxes and rates announced by Governor Chukwuma Soludo-led administration in Anambra State. The new taxes are imposed on residents of Anambra State to take care of sanitation and related matters. The new rates are coming barely few weeks after a recent increment in taxes for commercial tricycle operators and shuttle drivers, which sparked protests by the two groups in the state.
The board of Anambra State Waste Management Authority (ASWAMA) had placed a ban on street dumping of refuse in the state, a practice to be replaced with house to house refuse collections, with effect from 30th September. ASWAMA Managing Director, Mike Ozoemena, while featuring on the radio programme, “Anambra Tax Matters,” said the new taxes, which would be paid by all residents, including rural dwellers, took effect from October 1. He said more waste collection trucks would be procured and fuelled for waste disposal, adding that more waste bins would also be purchased and placed at strategic locations across the state for effective waste collection and management.
Ozoemena said the new rate was classified according to local governments, which could be rural, semi-urban and urban. He said the LGAs in the urban category include Awka South, Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Aguata, Nnewi North, Idemili North and Ogbaru; while he listed semi-urban local governments as Njikoka, Idemili South, Ihiala, Awka North, Oyi, Orumba North, Orumba South, Anaocha, Nnewi South, Dunukofia, and Anambra East. The rural local government areas include Ayamelum, Anambra West and Ekwusigo.
For people in residential buildings in the rural areas, the annual waste disposal and management rate for a duplex was fixed for N12,000; in semi-urban N18,000 and N24,000 for urban areas. The agency said N6,000 was fixed for detached bungalows in the rural areas, N9000 for semi-urban and N12,000 for the urban areas annually. “Flat (2-3 bedrooms) will pay N3,600 for rural, N5,400 for semi-urban and N7,200 for urban, annually. One-bedroom flat in rural area is N2,400, semi-urban N3,600 and N4,800 for urban, yearly. One-room in rural areas will pay N1,200, N1,800 for semi-urban and N2,400 for urban yearly,” he said.
Speaking on the commercial categories, the ASWAMA boss stated that for banks, if it is Central Bank in rural LGAs, the rate is N600,000, semi-urban is N900,000 while urban is N1, 200,000 yearly. “For commercial banks, N240,000 for rural; N360,000 for semi-urban; N480,000 for the urban, annually. Micro-finance banks will pay N60, 000 for rural; N90, 000 for semi-urban, N120, 000 for the urban, while bureau de change will pay annual fee of N60, 000 for rural, N90, 000 for semi-urban, N120, 000 for urban. Insurance companies and others will pay N60, 000 for rural, N90, 000 for semi-urban, N120, 000 for urban. Going forward, hotels with 200 rooms and above will pay N480,000 for rural, N720, 000 for semi-urban, N960, 000 for urban, every year.”
According to him, hotels with100-199 rooms will pay N300,000 for rural, N450, 000 for semi-urban and N600, 000 for urban, yearly. “Those with 50-99 rooms will pay N240, 000 for rural, N360, 000 for semi-urban and N480, 000 for urban, yearly. Hotels with 40-49 rooms will pay N180, 000 for rural, N270, 000 for semi-urban and N360, 000 for urban, yearly; while hotels with 30-39 rooms will pay N160, 000 for rural, N240, 000 for semi-urban and N320, 000 for urban LGAs, yearly.
“Others with 20-29 rooms will pay N144,000 for rural, N216 for semi-urban and N288 for urban. Those with 10-19 rooms will pay N120, 000 for rural, N180, 000 for semi-urban and N240,000 for urban, yearly. Hotels with 1-9 rooms will pay N60, 000 for rural, N90, 000 for semi-urban and N120,000 for urban while Video rental stores will pay N3, 600 for rural, N5, 400 for semi-urban and N7, 200 for urban, yearly. Recreation, sport, park and leisure (big) in the rural areas will pay N24,000, semi-urban N36,000 and the N48, 000 for urban, every year. Recreation, sport, park and leisure (small) will pay N12,000 for rural and N18, 000 for semi-urban and N24, 000 for urban, yearly.”
According to Ozoemena, new rate for gaming house/pool agency is N4, 800 for rural, N7, 200 for semi-urban, and N9, 600 for urban, yearly. “Restaurant/drinking parlours (large) in the rural LGAs will pay N60, 000, N90, 000 for semi-urban and N120, 000 for urban, while Restaurant/drinking parlours (small) pay N24, 000 for rural, N 36, 000 for semi-urban and N48, 000 for the urban, yearly. Fast food outfits will pay N180, 000 for rural, N270, 000 for semi-urban and N360,000 for urban; while night clubs pay N60, 000 in the rural LGAs, N90, 000 for semi-urban and N120, 000 for urban. Others in the category in the rural LGAs will pay N24, 000, semi-urban N36,000 and N48, 000 for the urban LGAs, yearly,” he announced.
Meanwhile, some residents who spoke with The Nation described the development as counterproductive, saying the government was merely putting the cart before the horse. Some, however, applauded the government, insisting that government was considerate in pegging the levies. A resident of the state, Ebuka Onyekwelu, accused the agency of being more interested in the financial gains than rising to the responsibility of taking waste off the streets. He insisted that collection and management of wastes should be of primary importance to revenue collection.
He said, “The trending announcement by the MD of Anambra State Waste Management Agency of an increment in waste collection charges, speaks to the following: the agency, it appears, is more interested in the money it charges residents than it is in taking waste off the streets. Their job is first to collect and manage waste, not to collect revenue, which is secondary. It does also appear that the agency is willing to collect charges, even where they have not discharged their duties.
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“The emphasis on increment of waste collection charges by thea, with absolutely nothing on the ground to justify such increment, is roundly suspicious. Waste is nearly overrunning many parts of Anambra State, with no solution in sight. There is little or no confidence at all on the part of the governed expected to pay for waste collection. Yet, the agency is talking about increment. It is insensitive, to say the least, for the MD of ASWAMA to go on a radio station and start talking about payment of waste collection when his agency has not done much to build the confidence of the payers.
“Therefore, ASWAMA should first of all organise itself and be able to manage waste effectively. Let them create a timetable for collection, street by street and religiously follow same. In my own street, people have resorted to self-help in disposing their waste. How can these people pay the government for something they are already solving for themselves? We can’t justify this sort of thing. Money is definitely important for any government to deliver on governance indices, but there is a better way to do it, before the government earns a reputation as one without a human face. People should not be told to pay for a service an agency clearly has shown to be unprepared to discharge. If ASWAMA puts itself together, people will pay. But they must put work on ground first.
“A resident expected to pay for one waste collection, how can he pay when ASWAMA has not come for waste collection in his street? What happens when he pays for a year and ASWAMA comes at will, say once in a month or once in three months?”
Another stakeholder, who simply identified herself as Adamma, said what she had expected from the agency was to identify with residents in their various locations and familiarie them with the days its workers would visit their areas so they could keep their refuse for them to dispose. “I agree with fixing the agency first. They don’t have a mode of operation yet. Around Ukwuorji, Ziks Avenue, people drop their wastes on the road and up till Eke Awka. I thought the first thing they sould have done was to get to know the people in their areas; let them know the days they will be coming and where people will keep their refuse for them, etc. In my opinion, they have not laid the foundational structure,” she said.
A public servant who preferred anonymity said government should be more interested in quality service delivery than reeling out levies. He said the average resident would be willing to part with his money if he was guaranteed of efficient services. He said, “If services are rendered well, people should be able to pay their sanitation levy. However, the levy shouldn’t be unreasonable. Mere looking at the rates, someone may describe it as reasonable, but considering the harsh economic realities of our time, even if you peg it at N1000 per annum, some persons will struggle to cough it out. But whether the prices are friendly or outrageous, the bottom line is rendering the quality services. Presently, the quality of services is nothing to write home about.
“One still sees refuses littered all around the state compared to the time we had designated waste disposal points. People dispose their wastes indiscriminately. For me, the situation at hand is more problematic than the present administration seeks to solve. I’m more interested in assurance of quality services if people comply with the new rates than whether the prices are high or not.”
On his part, Chairman of Civil Society Organisations in the state, Prince Chris Azor, described as untrue allegations that ASWAMA was only interested in the money it charged residents. He said, “It’s not true that ASWAMA is only interested in the money it charges residents. Service delivery is paramount to the authority, the reason over 40 waste contractors have been engaged with a wage bill of about N400 million per month. ASWAMA is diligently discharging its duties, however, making effort to improve going forward. It is obvious that a lot is on the ground for improved service delivery, enlightenment and partnership. Fees charged by ASWAMA are comparatively low. Go and verify.
“There is no sane clime that citizens and corporate bodies don’t pay for wastes generated. I just gave the humongous wage bill the state government incurs on a monthly basis. Time frame has already been created for bagging and door-to-door collection of wastes. Further sensitisation and enlightenment are ongoing, one of which was done by MD of ASWAMA that you alluded to. Without being immodest, ASWAMA is doing a lot in the service of Anambra and sundry citizens. We are ready to improve to serve you better. And we are well prepared.”
He urged those not comfortable with the services of the agency to report any lapses to appropriate authorities. “If you see something, say something,” he posited.