In most developed or developing countries, Small and Medium scale enterprises (SMEs) contribute greatly to the economy of that nation, as they account for about 90% of businesses, especially in Nigeria.
However, in Nigeria, there have been complaints and laments from most SMEs over the unfavourable working conditions meted out to SMEs. These include high taxes or levies from officials, unstable power supply, government policies, among others.
In light of this, some dispatch riders in Lagos have staged a protest against multiple extortions by the state government and some agencies of the Federal Government.
Barricading the main entrance to the Lagos State House of Assembly complex, hundreds of dispatch riders consisting of men and women displayed placards with various inscriptions, such as; ‘We are not lazy Nigerians, No to baboon areaboys’, ‘Give us one card’ and others.
They also prevented visitors to the complex from entering, despite heavy police presence at the gate.
Investors King gathered that one of their agitations was the issuance of four tickets/cards amounting to N25, 000 to operators by authorities, comprising the Lagos State government, Local Councils, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST).
According to them, the State Assembly had, in 2021, directed that the extortion of dispatch riders in the state be stopped, and had appealed to government officials to comply with the directives to allow peace reign.
However, nothing was done in this regard, as NIPOST, the body charged with regulating the practice of courier and logistics in Nigeria, has also started issuing its own driver’s licence, which will make a total of four licences for the riders.
A rider lamented that they pay N3, 600 for the Lagos State Rider’s Card, N2, 500 to Ogun State for a similar card, N10, 000 to NIPOST and N8, 000 to the FRSC. According to him, these levies amount to about N25, 100 per rider and whoever defaults in payment will be arrested.
“We are tired of these multiple charges. We are appealing to the government and authorities concerned to reduce our burden.
“The FRSC has mandated that all dispatch riders should have a class ‘A driver’s licence’ and they have been impounding our bikes in numbers,” he said.
While examining the challenges impacting SMEs growth, particularly financing, taxation issues and other factors, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), in a report, noted that there is a need to conduct an evaluation of SMEs in Nigeria with the aim of unlocking growth and development of the sector in Nigeria.
The evaluation, according to PwC, will assist in attaining a status report on the level of effect or impact of the existing funding and other support strategies on the target recipients as well as aid in driving policy assessment, redirection and formulation going forward, especially in this present economic climate.
