Imo Governor Rochas Okorocha Threatens To Dethrone Traditional Rulers In Communities With Less Than 2000 Taxable Adults

The Governor of Imo State Rochas Okorocha, has threatened to dethrone traditional rulers who fail to register a minimum of 2000 adults for a N3, 000 per head levy. The traditional rulers have till January 2017 to comply or be sacked.
The governor gave the hint in Owerri, the state capital while addressing officials and members of the Community Government Council; State Development Council, traditional rulers; and other stakeholders.

The governor also said traditional rulers would be recognised based on the amount raised through the levy.

Okorocha promised that his government would give each autonomous community N4m to make a total of N10m required to establish a cottage industry in each community.
He warned that communities that did not have evidence of 2000 taxable adults risk disqualification while their traditional rulers would be denied recognition by the government. Arthur Egwim, a member representing Ideato South State
Constituency and his Ikeduru State Constituency counterpart, Thaddeus Oguike, said any traditional ruler whose autonomous community registered up to 10,000 adults would be accorded first class traditional ruler status; communities that register 5000 adults would be accorded second class status; communities that register from 2000 to 4999 taxable adults would be recognised as third class; while communities that fail to register up to 2000 adults would have their traditional rulers demoted to village heads.