400 LASTMA Officers Sacked.
The Lagos State Government has sacked 400 officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, in the last one week over cases of corruption and other misconduct.
The state government also said it would abolish the use of consultants by the Lagos Internal Revenue Service, LIRS to collect taxes in the state as their activities have become inimical to the government.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Taxation and Revenue, Bola Shodipo said this while presenting a paper at the 341st Council Meeting of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Ikeja Branch in Ikeja, Lagos.
While he was speaking on the collection of illegal levies by unscrupulous individuals in the state, he disclosed such act of corruption led to the sack of 400 LASTMA officials in the last one week as the government would not condone illegality.
The LASTMA officials were sacked over various acts of misconduct, such as extortion, dereliction of duty, disrespect to constituted authorities, fighting on the road and failing to comport themselves properly while discharging their duties.
The sack cuts across the senior and junior categories of the officials.
Governor Babatunde Fashola had been warning unscrupulous officials of LASTMA to stop misbehaving or be prepared for the way out.
However, Shodipo admitted that there were many illegal levies being collected in Lagos State, while he cited his personal experience at the Kuramo Beach where some touts claiming to be representatives of Iru/Victoria Island Local Council Development Areas, LCDA wanted to collect illegal parking fee from him.
He said he had to call the taskforce to arrest the culprits but that they ran away before the taskforce could get to the scene.
According to him, “these people we call touts cannot operate without some elements in the society,” adding that some politicians use them during the election to aid and abet their practices.
“To say we will totally eradicate them will be difficult but their impact on the society is what we are trying to reduce,” he added.
On the use of consultants by the LIRS, Shodipo disclosed that from January 2012, the state government would stop using consultants to collect taxes in the state, saying that he had already submitted a proposal to that effect.
According to him, consultants were doing more harm than good in the collection of taxes in the state, adding that maybe at inception they might have been very helpful.
He said the government had received lots of complaints through text messages, e-mails, among others on the illegal activities of these consultants.
The Lagos State Government has sacked 400 officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, in the last one week over cases of corruption and other misconduct.
The state government also said it would abolish the use of consultants by the Lagos Internal Revenue Service, LIRS to collect taxes in the state as their activities have become inimical to the government.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Taxation and Revenue, Bola Shodipo said this while presenting a paper at the 341st Council Meeting of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Ikeja Branch in Ikeja, Lagos.
While he was speaking on the collection of illegal levies by unscrupulous individuals in the state, he disclosed such act of corruption led to the sack of 400 LASTMA officials in the last one week as the government would not condone illegality.
The LASTMA officials were sacked over various acts of misconduct, such as extortion, dereliction of duty, disrespect to constituted authorities, fighting on the road and failing to comport themselves properly while discharging their duties.
The sack cuts across the senior and junior categories of the officials.
Governor Babatunde Fashola had been warning unscrupulous officials of LASTMA to stop misbehaving or be prepared for the way out.
However, Shodipo admitted that there were many illegal levies being collected in Lagos State, while he cited his personal experience at the Kuramo Beach where some touts claiming to be representatives of Iru/Victoria Island Local Council Development Areas, LCDA wanted to collect illegal parking fee from him.
He said he had to call the taskforce to arrest the culprits but that they ran away before the taskforce could get to the scene.
According to him, “these people we call touts cannot operate without some elements in the society,” adding that some politicians use them during the election to aid and abet their practices.
“To say we will totally eradicate them will be difficult but their impact on the society is what we are trying to reduce,” he added.
On the use of consultants by the LIRS, Shodipo disclosed that from January 2012, the state government would stop using consultants to collect taxes in the state, saying that he had already submitted a proposal to that effect.
According to him, consultants were doing more harm than good in the collection of taxes in the state, adding that maybe at inception they might have been very helpful.
He said the government had received lots of complaints through text messages, e-mails, among others on the illegal activities of these consultants.
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