…. Kogi govt charging outrageous tax of over N1.2 billion per annum— MTN
From Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
The Kogi state government Thursday said it has shut down the services of the MTN in parts of the state because the net work provider has flagrantly refused to comply with the rules and regulations guiding it’s operations in the state.
The shut down of MTN which is the major service provider in the state has paralyzed the socio economic activities while citizens and subscribers groan as businesses count their loses running into millions of nair
Addressing a joint press briefing on Friday the chairman of kogi state revenue service Sule Enehe represented by Mrs Hassana Salawu and the director general of Kogi state Utility infrastructure management and compliant agency Taofeek Isah said MTN has refused to pay their obligations to the state.
According to Taofeek Isah the current face -off has to do with the regularisation obligation of fibre optic which they claim MTN has refused to comply with.
According to them while MTN is claiming to have 40 fibre optics in the state while the state government said they have 199 fibre optics which they are obligated to pay for .
They said after several meetings with the service provider, they still refused to do the needful and rather prefer to dilly dally with the state government.
The state government who refused to disclose how much MTN is really owing the state inspite of several questions from newsmen said they believe the shutting down of the network service was its last resort to enforce compliance and therefore urged citizens to switch to other network providers
It is learnt that the shut down of the MTN services has increased the level of kidnappings and other insecurity while hospitals and medical facilities who rely of the service provider are also worst hit.
When contacted a reliable source close to MTN office who does not want his name in print said the state government was being economical with the truth and challenge them to mention the area that the network provider failed to meet up the compliance.
He said the state government without consideration just increased it’s annual tax to over N1.2 billions with over 70 percent hiding under some dubious means which, he said they can not provide convincing data to support.
On the claim of the state government that MTN has 199 optic fibres instead of 40 they were claiming, the source said the right of way of these optic fibres were the major dispute stressing that the state government wants to claim optic fibres that are placed on trunk A road which is clearly under the control of the federal government.
He said following the state government option will amount to double payment of tax by MTN to the federal government and state government on the same object.