A restaurant owner by the Facebook name, Peniel Chris Enwenwen, took to her Facebook page where she narrated how depressed she became after she was confronted with bills worth millions of Naira by FIRS.
This morning I had a minor melt down on WhatsApp. I felt like the world was ending for me. I felt so alone, depressed, tired, sleepy and frustrated.
I walked into my restaurant at about 8am and power was out. Everywhere was hot and abit dark, I walked into my office, said a short prayer and looked on my desk…. there were some nearly arranged papers staring at me, I picked them up and behold BILLS!!! FIRS stopped by and left a letter saying I was owing taxes to the tune of N2.1m with a turnover of N18m in 2018(who declared it for them).
I just tossed it aside. Security company dropped April Bill, Port Harcourt city council dropped tenement rate Bill of N500k, same council dropped projection bill of N20k and then offcourse fresh NEPA bill of N72,000
I just exhaled, gathered them neatly and put inside my desk drawer. I was angry! Tears streamed down my face. I kept hissing!
My 16.5kva Generator recently shutdown (I worked the life out of the generator) repairer gave me bill of N135k, we fixed it and barely one month later, it packed up again, another bill was brought for N235k to buy parts and fix, I just ignored it, borrowed a smaller gen from home and started managing. I couldn’t afford the gen.
Now this is not a spiritual problem, it’s very physical. I brought out my books and started looking at expenses. almost every month we are paying one government levy, bills, fixing one broken thing or the other.
In one minute, all I wanted to do was give up. I just wanted to pack up and go home. Let me not even get started on how my land lady stalked me till I paid my rent. She literally called me every day, paid me unannounced visits and took every last cent even when I pleaded for more time.
Now you see, I keep asking, how are small businesses managing?? We cannot even boast of 4 hours of steady power daily. Did I mention the restaurant is in GRA? IT’S A SHAME!
Customers walk out because the ACs are not fully functional. Sales are fickle. Who will save the small businesses. Banks are asking for our ancestors and are not willing to help
Grateful for the friends who kept encouraging me to forge ahead. Funke left all she was doing this morning, came over, sat in my hot store turned office and said DON’T CLOSE DOWN. Those were the words I needed to hear.
I work hard, too hard somedays, and the government stretches their hands to collect all the time.
Ive decided, I have to make a Change in our country.
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