SPECIAL REPORT… Paying for Nothing: Benue traders decry tax exploitation hurting businesses

In this report, MANASSEH MBACHII uncovers how traders in Benue State, Middle-Belt Nigeria are forced to pay taxes and levies yet they get no benefits from the government, as they still pay more to provide the same amenities for themselves

It was a bustling Monday morning at the Wurukum Market in Makurdi, Benue State, when Nguhemen Iorhuna, a middle-aged supplier of beans and rice, meticulously arranged her goods, hoping for a profitable day. Around 10 a.m. on the 8th of October, just as the market began to fill with customers, a white Hilux van screeched to a halt.

At first glance, a couple of young men who alighted from the vehicle seemed like potential customers. But their demeanor told a different story; they were tax officers from the Makurdi Local Government Area of the state. Without explanation, they began seizing goods. “We tried pleading with them,” Nguhemen recalls. “But it was like talking to a wall. They packed our goods into the van and drove off.”

Traders vs Tax Officers in Makurdi

Nguhemen wasn’t alone in her ordeal. Traders watched helplessly as bags of rice, beans, sugar, and other items were loaded into the vehicle. The officers justified their actions by citing the traders’ failure to respond to an invitation sent to them two days earlier over tax payments.

Later that day, in company of their women’s leader, Nancy Nyiter, the market women rallied to recover their goods. Contributions were pooled, totaling ₦50,000, which they handed over to the officials as a ‘recovery fee’. When the seized items were returned, however, they came back incomplete.

“A 25kg bag of rice was missing,” Nguhemen recounts. “Sugar worth ₦5,000 and four bottles of red oil belonging to another trader, Dina Gerger, were also gone.” When Nancy approached the tax officers to demand an explanation, their response was as callous as their earlier actions.

“They told us to tax ourselves and pay Nguhemen for her loss,” Nancy said. The traders, fearful of further retaliation from the officials, complied, and contributed money to compensate Mrs Iorhuna. “What choice did we have?” Nancy added. “These people are government officials. If we fight them, they’d make things worse for us.”

Wurukum Market, Makurdi

For the traders, this was just another chapter in a long history of exploitation. Despite paying multiple levies—ranging from environmental fees to waste management charges—the market remains in shambles. Piles of uncollected waste fester under the sun, toilets are unusable, and basic infrastructure is non-existent. This leaves marketers to wonder what the regular payments of different taxes and levies are used for.

Services That Don’t Exist

For Abdullahi Loko, a meat seller at Wurukum Market in Makurdi, the cost of doing business goes far beyond the price of livestock. Each year, he pays taxes exceeding ₦50,000—fees that supposedly cover basic amenities like electricity and water. “Yet, there is no light and no water, ” explained Abdullahi. “I have lost so much meat because we can’t refrigerate anything in this market.”

Without electricity, Abdullahi faces frequent losses as his unsold meat spoils under the relentless heat. Despite the steady flow of taxes collected by local authorities, traders like him see no tangible benefits in return. “It’s as though we’re throwing our money into a black hole,” Abdullahi said, gesturing towards his stall, where chunks of meat hung precariously in the midday sun.

Abdullahi Loko

Abdullahi called on the Benue State government to fulfill its responsibilities to the taxpayers, emphasising that their demands are not unreasonable. “We’re not asking for free services,” he said firmly. “We pay for electricity and water as part of the tax, and it should be reflected. The government needs to live up to our expectations and provide what we’re paying for.”

His frustration reflects the sentiment of many traders in the market, who feel trapped in a system that takes from them without giving back. For Abdullahi, the solution is simple: accountability. “If they collect our money, they should use it to fix the market’s problems. That’s all we’re asking for.”

Tailors Struggle

For Akawe Isaac, the chairman of the Makurdi Tailors Association, the taxes he pays each year have become a frustrating reminder of unfulfilled promises. Having lived and worked in Wurukum Market for over ten years, Isaac says he pays up to ₦40,000 annually, covering levies for electricity, environmental management, water, and infrastructure. Yet, these essential services remain absent.

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“Every time I need electricity, I have to walk a long distance to neighboring houses to iron clothes or use a sewing machine,” Isaac lamented. The lack of electricity in the market has also rendered his industrial sewing machine unusable—a key tool for producing high-quality work.

Akawe Isaac

“The industrial sewing machine adds a certain beauty to clothes,” he explained. “But without electricity, I can’t use it. Customers notice and often leave, making excuses. Once they leave, they never come back.”

Isaac’s frustration is justified by his struggles and that of many traders in Wurukum Market, who are only asking the government to give them services they are forced to pay for.

The Hidden Costs of Doing Business in Benue State

The lack of water and electricity creates a barrier for Favour Aka-Amaka, a Wurukum-based trader, from running a profitable business in the market. She used to sell cold beverages “but the process was too tedious,” she explained. Every day, she would need to transport those items to her home to refrigerate, costing what were supposed to be her profits.

Favour Aka-Amaka

Favour lamented that her taxes and levies were supposed to cover the provision of toilet facilities, but the only ones in the market are privately managed. “Imagine paying taxes that cover toilet facilities, only to find there are none, and the ones available still cost you extra. Is that not economic sabotage?” she queried.

Anselem Eze, a beverage selle