Enugu govt seals off 2 federal institutions, others over N30bn debt

ENUGU State Government on Wednesday went hard on tax evaders, sealing off two federal government institutions, a filling station, three major hotels, as well as the complex of a telecommunications company over un-remitted taxes estimated at N30 billion.

Among the affected institutions were the National Orientation Agency (NOA), National Examination Council (NECO), the Micro-Finance bank of the University of Nigeria (UNN), Golden Royale, Brifina and Blue Island Hotels, Etisalat office and a filling station.

Briefing a selected journalists in Enugu shortly after the clamp down, the Chairman of the State Board of Internal Revenue, Emeka Odoh, warned that the State government might pseal off the University of Nigeria (UNN) campuses in Nsukka and Enugu for alleged failure to remit about N12 billion in taxes to the coffers of the government

Odo said the board had obtained exparte orders from the state High Court to seal off the affected institutions, stressing that the affected offices would remain under lock and key until they remit to the state government all the taxes they had collected and withheld.

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According to him, the state government had encouraged individual tax payers and tax agents to comply voluntarily by paying their taxes promptly, adding that the process of remittances of government revenues have been reformed in order to make it easy for institutions to pay their taxes like other corporate citizens.

In his words: “In the past one year, we have written the affected institutions severally and held meetings with them on the subject matter but they would rather hold on to government funds illegally. Their action has been denying the state government of the funds it needs to execute its developmental programmes with would impact positively on the lives of the people.

“We were left with no other option than to invoke the laws by obtaining an exparte order which has enabled us to seal the institutions,” he said.

Speaking on UNN, Odoh said as the highest employer of labour outside the state government, the university had refused to remit over N12 billion from deductions they made from workers, a situation he said was not helpful to the state government.

Explaining why the agency refused to seal off UNN at the same time with others, Odo said it wanted to follow due process, adding, “Once the necessary court orders are obtained, the agency will not hesitate to seal off the university campuses in the state”

The Chairman of the Board, therefore called on the authority of He asked the university authority led by the vice-chancellor, bursar and registrar to quickly do the needful before it becomes too late.

“We are delighted that the agency’s resort to seal off institutions indebted to the state government has continued to yield positive results. The agency recovered over N2 billion last year”, he noted.