Concerned indigenous people from Ogun State under the auspices of the Egba Economic Summit have lamented that multiple taxes by the arms of the state government and its agencies resulted in a shortage of small and medium-sized businesses across the state.
They also expressed their dissatisfaction with the difficulties in obtaining property titles to land in the state.
Speaking on behalf of the group in question, EES Finance Director Gbenga Adeoye lamented that the inability of private investors to obtain title deeds for their properties made it impossible for potential investors to obtain loan facilities.
Adeoye, speaking shortly after the 9th Annual General Meeting of the Egba Economic Summit, blamed the government’s strict conditions for obtaining official land titles as a factor responsible for the relocation of many investors to other states.
He urged the state government to eliminate multiple taxes so small business owners can prosper.
He said: “Sometimes you can process a title document for a decade and you won’t get it. There seems to be no specific procedure that people adhere to, you go, you pay, and at the end of the day you don’t get what you want.
“So the document of title is key; when people do not have title to their documents, they cannot apply for loans. We want to call on the government to see what they can do by eliminating multiple taxes, especially for small businesses that normally don’t need to stress.”
Meanwhile, EES President Adeshina Luwoye revealed that the group will embark on inter-school discussions among secondary school students in the Egba area to inculcate moral values among the youth.
Luwoye, who spoke on the theme of this year’s AGM: “The Future Is Now,” stressed that the group will strengthen reading culture and instill moral discipline among youth through academic interventions.
He said: “We have programs that the AGM has approved that need to be implemented this year. One of them is the inter-school debate between Egbaland secondary schools.
“Who are the icons that our youth look up to? They are musicians and local boys who have been promoted to active roles in the political arena. But rather, that is not in the character of the Egba people. So the interscholastic debate is about bringing back those times when you are recognized and rewarded for your brainpower.
“You see our youth today become glorified Okada horsemen; we see our children doing Yahoo; that is not the future we want for our people. That’s why we want to bring back that culture where kids can be on radio and TV to show that they really are talented and can also be rewarded for engaging in intellectual pursuits.”
