Osun Moves to End Multiple Taxation, Sensitises Transport Operators on New Law

By Ayobami Agboola, Osogbo

The Osun State Government on Wednesday sensitised transport operators, vehicle owners, drivers, riders and other stakeholders on the state’s Integrated Transport, Traffic and Park Management System Law, 2026, with emphasis on reducing multiple taxation, curbing illegal collections and improving road safety.

The sensitisation programme, organised by the state Ministry of Transportation, brought together transport union leaders, park managers, commercial vehicle operators, government officials and other stakeholders to explain the provisions of the law and their responsibilities under the new transport management framework.

Addressing participants, the Accounting Officer for the Ministry of Transport Osun State, Olumide Taiwo, said the law was designed to establish a more organised, transparent and technology-driven transport system, adding that the engagement would help operators understand both their obligations and the protections available to them.

“The purpose of this sensitisation is therefore not simply to announce a new law. It is to ensure that the people who will work with the law every day — drivers, riders, vehicle owners, transport associations, park managers and other stakeholders — understand its provisions, their responsibilities and, equally importantly, the protections and benefits available to them,” the Permanent Secretary said.

He explained that the new framework provides for the registration and identification of commercial operators and vehicles, the use of approved parks and loading points, proper display of number plates, roadworthiness checks and improved traffic management.

The law also provides for the use of technology, including electronic identification, QR and NFC credentials, digital payment records, cameras and Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems, to support verification and enforcement.

The ministry said the Daily Operation Levy would be linked to verified commercial operations, with the aim of distinguishing between days vehicles operate commercially and days they remain inactive. The framework is also intended to reduce arbitrary assessments and multiple collections.

Also speaking, the Acting Chairman of the Osun Internal Revenue Service, Solanke Hamzat, said the reform aligned with efforts to make tax administration simpler and more transparent while addressing multiple taxation.

“If you look at the 2025 NTA, that’s the Nigerian Tax Act, Tax Administration, you’ll see that what we are trying to do is to bring tax to be more open, transparent, and eradicate multiple taxation. So simplicity is the key word,” Hamzat said.

He said the new system would also help the government reduce revenue leakages by preventing ticket duplication and other irregularities associated with revenue collection.

“Almost all the collections, the revenue of the government, go directly into government coffers. That’s number one. It will block all leakages, people duplicating tickets and all kinds of antics that people play in terms of collecting government revenue,” he said.

Hamzat added that digital payment records and official receipts would help protect transport operators from repeated demands for payment after they had fulfilled their obligations.

“Once you have paid and you have your digital receipt, nobody can come and harass you again and say, ‘Bring money,’ and all these touts that harass people on the road will now be eradicated,” he said.

On the implementation timeline, Hamzat said the law was already in effect and required commercial vehicle operators to register within 60 days of the governor signing it into law.

“The law is already in effect because in one of the provisions of the law it says that sixty days from the time the governor signs this law into an Act, all road users who are operating commercial vehicles must be duly registered. So it’s already counting,” he said.