Akwa Ibom govt suspends bus, tricycle daily ticket levy

The Akwa Ibom State Government has suspended all daily ticket levies on tricycle and minibus operators in the state for five days.

In a statement by the state Commissioner for Transport, Etim Uno, the state government said the gesture was to cushion the ongoing cash crunch and other challenges suffered by transporters as a result of the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The statement read in part, “Due to the harsh realities occasioned by the cash crunch in the country, the Akwa Ibom State Government hereby graciously announces a five-day suspension of daily ticketing for operators of commercial tricycles and minibuses. The suspension takes immediate effect from Monday, March 13 till Friday, March 17, 2023.

This development will help the operators breathe a sigh of relief as they struggle to earn a living amidst these biting hard times. The government notified all operators of tricycles and minibuses as well as the monitoring unit of the development and possible compliance. The general public, particularly operators of commercial tricycles and minibuses and the Compliance and Monitoring team are hereby notified of this development.”

The commissioner urged the benefitting transporters to use the five-day tax holiday to take an active part in the governorship and state assembly poll reschedule for March 18, 2023, in the state