From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, yesterday, imposed new taxes and rates on residents to take care of sanitation challenges.
This comes not long after a recent increment in taxes for commercial tricycle operators, also known as Keke NAPEP and shuttle drivers sparked protests by the two groups in the state.
Managing Director of Anambra State Waste Management Agency, Mike Ozoemena, said the new taxes, which must be paid by all residents, including rural dwellers, took effect from October 1, 2022.
He said more waste collection trucks would be procured and fuelled for waste disposal even as more waste bins would be purchased and placed at strategic locations across the state for effective waste collection and management.
Ozoemena said the new rate was classified according to local governments which could be rural, semi-urban and urban. He said the LGAs in the urban category include Awka South, Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Aguata, Nnewi North, Idemili North and Ogbaru.
He listed semi-urban local governments as Njikoka, Idemili South, Ihiala, Awka North, Oyi, Orumba North, Orumba South, Anaocha, Nnewi South, Dunukofia, and Anambra East, while rural local governments include Ayamelum, Anambra West and Ekwusigo.
For example, he said for residential buildings in the rural areas, the rate for a duplex was fixed for N12,000; in semi-urban N18,000 and N24,000 for urban areas annually.
He said N6,000 was fixed for detached bungalows in the rural areas, N9000 for semi-urban and N12,000 for the urban areas annually.
“Flat (2-3 bedrooms) will pay N3,600 for rural, N5,400 for semi-urban and N7,200 for urban, annually. One-bedroom flat in rural area is N2,400, semi-urban N3,600 and N4,800 for urban, yearly. One-room in rural areas will pay N1,200, N1,800 for semi-urban and N2,400 for urban yearly,” he said.