Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has promised to resolve the environmental levy controversy which led to protests by hundreds of traders at the Government House recently.

Oshiomohole, who addressed them promptly, invited the leadership to a meeting  with the Commissioner of Environment, to resolve their grievances.

Mr Martins Egboigbe, the Secretary-General of the Lagos Street Traders Association, operating as Akugbe Multi-Traders Association, who presented the association’s position to the governor, alleged that they were being over levied for waste disposal services.

Egboigbe said that the traders were initially paying N200 for carrying out their businesses within residential areas as designated by government's waste environmental schedule list but later converted as commercial area, increasing the levy to N500.

``We are surprised that soon after we commenced payment of N500 monthly to the Waste Management Board, the contractor in charge sent us notices that the area has been designated a market area, prescribing a N1000 environmental waste levy per store.

``Which means that if there are three stores in a house, the stores and not the house, will pay N3,000 to government.

`` And this is aside other levies that we pay to local government councils and the state government.

``As law abiding citizens, we have decided to make our feelings known to you sir about our pains and sufferings, especially when as patriotic and law abiding Edo people, we equally pay our taxes to government.''

Earlier,  Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Uyi Igbe promised to urgently constitute an ad hoc committee to enquire into the traders’ allegation.

Igbe, who commended the traders for their maturity in conducting the protest, assured them that he would immediately constitute a committee to look into their allegations.

Some of the inscriptions on the placards displayed by the traders read:  ``Government, please remove dubious contractor from Lagos Street'' and `` N1,000 environmental levy too much.’’