There was a wave of relief and emotional gratitude at Orie Nara Market in Nkanu East Local Government Area on Tuesday, 3rd June 2025, as traders and market leaders welcomed the Enugu State Market Monitoring Team, led by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Enugu State on Market Affairs, Hon. Dr. Chinedu Mbah, following the formal introduction of an authorized revenue officer to oversee government tax collections, marking the end of illegal levies and multiple taxation in the market.
The visit, led by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Market Liaison, Hon. Dr. Chinedu Mbah, was a continuation of Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s commitment to sanitizing revenue collection systems in Enugu State markets and protecting traders from exploitation.
The move follows the arrest of several illegal tax collectors at Orie Nara on 6th May 2025, when Hon. Dr. Chinedu Mbah and his team apprehended individuals extorting traders through unauthorized levies. The suspects were handed over to the police for prosecution, in line with the state government’s zero-tolerance stance on illegal revenue practices.
During the latest visit, the SSA officially introduced Mr. Jude Egbo, an officer deployed by the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service, as the sole recognized agent for government tax collection in the market. The traders, in response, welcomed the move with excitement and publicly commended Governor Mbah for putting an end to what they described as years of extortion and harassment.
Addressing the traders and market leaders, Hon. Dr. Chinedu Mbah reaffirmed Governor Mbah’s dedication to their welfare and economic empowerment. He emphasized that the administration is determined to build a transparent and efficient tax system that ensures every kobo paid by traders contributes directly to infrastructural and social development in the state.
“This administration is for you. Governor Peter Mbah has made it clear that no trader should be harassed, extorted, or subjected to multiple illegal levies. What we are doing today is institutionalizing order, and you can already see the result of your taxes in the development projects across Nkanu East and beyond,” Hon. Mbah stated.
The traders, visibly overjoyed, praised Governor Mbah’s ongoing infrastructure revolution, especially citing ongoing construction works at the Nara-Mgburugbu-Nu’me Road, Nara-Nkerefi Road, and Nara-Isiogbo Road. They also lauded the recently completed Ojorowo Bridge, a project executed by the Nkanu East Local Government Chairman.
Many traders broke into songs of praise and danced in celebration, describing the end of illegal taxation as a new dawn for commerce and local enterprise in the region.
They expressed readiness to pay their legitimate taxes, noting that the tangible impact of the current administration’s projects had restored their faith in governance.
“We are seeing the difference. For the first time, we know where our taxes are going. The roads, the market interventions, and now the end of these illegal fees, this is the kind of leadership we prayed for,” said one of the market leaders.
With this development, Orie Nara becomes the latest market to benefit from Governor Mbah’s wide-ranging reforms aimed at strengthening economic participation, curbing exploitation, and fostering inclusive development across Enugu State.
