From: Aloysius Attah, Onitsha

An Idemili Magistrate court, Presided over by Hellen Obianwu, has fixed February 9, 2017 for hearing in a case brought against the tenants of No. 2 Enugu-Ozalla Road, Odume Layout, Obosi by the Ministry of Environment, Beautification and Ecology Awka, for refusal to pay their waste management evacuation levy.

In the summoning document issued to the said tenants it read in part thus;  “complaint has been made this day by the Hon. Commissioner Ministry of Environment, Beautification and Ecology Awka, that you on the 2nd day of September 2016 at 1.17pm did fail to comply with payment of waste management fee which contravened  ASWAMA law of 2015, section 25 (3)”.

“You are therefore hereby summoned to appear before Magistrate court three on the 9th day of February 2017”

But in a swift reaction, the tenants vowed never to pay the levy adding that they cannot pay for services not rendered. Speaking through their spokesman, Mr Chris Udenta, a journalist, they said that the Ministry has never passed through their road with their evacuation vehicle let alone evacuating their waste.

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They accused the agents of the Ministry of extorting money from innocent residents in the pretext that they refused to pay waste evacuation levy.

“These people want to intimidate us and thank God they have taken us to court where the court will hear us because they are interested in extorting the public and not performing their duty” he said.

According to them “we are law abiding citizens and will always pay if they render the service to us. We are not saying we will not pay but will pay if we see the service rendered”