The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, on Wednesday described
the destruction of alcoholic beverages by the Kano State Government as
hypocritical, arguing that the state, which collects one of the highest
amounts from Value Added Tax (VAT) from other states, where such
beverages are sold, should not be enjoying the benefits of taxes from
goods it has prohibited contrary to Nigerian laws.
The Kano State
Islamic Police (Hisbah) had disclosed that its office confiscated and
destroyed about 60,000 cartons of beers in accordance with an Islamic
law against the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in the state,
saying it acted in line with a law passed by the Kano State House of
Assembly.
But National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr.
Yinka Odumakin, said, “We do not begrudge Kano State if they are against
the sale and production of beer in their state. What we are saying is
that Nigeria is bigger than Kano State, and there is no law in the
Nigerian constitution that forbids the production and sale of alcoholic
beverages in the country. But what they have done is hypocritical,
because Kano State shares in VAT revenues and collects more than some
states, where beer is being sold.
“That is one of the reasons we
are demanding for a restructuring of the country. Each state should
collect its VAT and only remit due VAT to the Federal Government. VAT
should not be wholly remitted to the Federal Government to be shared
among all the states of the Federation. The states where beers are
produced and sold should collect and keep their VAT, because the benefit
of such revenue generation efforts should not be given to states that
do not want beer in their territories. It is very hypocritical of the
Kano State Government to have done that.”
The Kano State Hisbah
Board Public Relations Officer, Malam Adamu Yahaya, said it seized and
destroyed more than 30 trailer loads of beer, with each trailer having
almost 2,000 cartons.
Yahaya said that the cartons of beer were
destroyed on Monday evening after interception at Kalebawa on Danbata
Road in Dawakin Tofa area.
“The Kano State Law No. 4 of 2004 has
banned the manufacture and use of intoxicants in the state. Furthermore,
an order was given by a magistrates’ court for us to go ahead with the
exercise,” the public relations officer said.
Yahaya warned those
selling beer to stay within their limits. He appealed to members of the
public to be of good conduct and be one another’s keeper.
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