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Land Use Charge: NBA to welcome Buhari to Lagos with protest today

 

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, has restated its resolve to embark on another round of protest today, over the reviewed Lagos Land Use Charge.
The NBA Chairman, Adeshina Ogunlana, said at a media briefing, yesterday, that in spite of the reduction of the rates and levies under the Land Use Charge, the protest would go on as planned.
President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to arrive in Lagos, today on a two-day state visit and the Lagos State Government has declared Thursday as public holiday in honour of the visitor. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had earlier reduced the levies by 50 per cent following a protest that greeted the Land Use Charge, but the reduction did not go down well with some stakeholders who insisted it should return to status quo.
A public hearing on the Lagos Land Use Charge organised by the Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday had turned rowdy as Ogunlana led lawyers walked out, insisting that the notice to submit their memorandum was too short.
Ogunlana said: “The protest is far from being over as lawyers have declared their intention to embark on another round of streets protest, tomorrow (Thursday).”
The NBA Chairman said that the protest was a response to “failure” of the state government and the House of Assembly to meet their demands.
Ogunlana described the reduction as a sham and a calculated ploy to hoodwink the people of Lagos State.
He, however, warned some members of the public who, he said, were peddling negative rumours against the NBA to desist from it.
NBA had on March 13 staged a protest tagged; “Walk The Talk” to reject the 50 per cent reduction of the levies. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), civil society bodies and professionals had in solidarity joined the protest.
Others are the Committee for Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Joint Action Front (JAF) Medical Doctors Association the Human and Environmental Agenda (HEDA).
The protest was meant to kick against the Land Use Charge Law 2018, excessive litigation cost, borehole tax and car registration tax.

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