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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
There is tension in Yenagoa Bayelsa State capital following a brewing over revenue collection in the state between the Bayelsa Board of Internal Revenue and the Environmental Sanitation Authority.
According to investigations a directive that residents of the state should stop paying any form of revenue to the officials of the Sanitation Authority and a counter directive by the management of the environmental authority that residents should disregard the directive from the Revenue board has triggered the tension in the state.
The Executive Chairman of the Board of Internal Revenue, Dr Nimbofa Ayawei and in a public announcement accused agents and staff of the State Environmental Sanitation Authority of consistently engaging in “illegal revenue collection activities, harassment and extortion of businesses in the state”
Ayawei disclosed that at the 9th meeting of the Tax/IGR Advisory and Review Committee (TARC) held on August 12th, it was decided to suspend all revenue collection activities of the State Environmental Sanitation Authority.
“In effect the , the general public and business owners are hereby advised to stop all payments to the Environmental Sanitation Authority until further notice and to report such agents to the Bayelsa State Board for Internal Revenue for necessary action.”
However, in a counter directive, Executive Chairman of the State Environmental Authority, Mr Tolu Amatu debunked the allegations against agents and staff of the agency and urged residents of the state to disregard Ayawei’s directive.
Amatu who stated that no representative of the Environmental Sanitation Authority was invited to the TARC meeting declared that his agency was a creation of the law adding that as such “it is only the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri that can direct the immediate suspension of our revenue collection activities and not the Bayelsa Board of Internal Revenue or any other”
He enjoined the general public to disregard the directive suspending the activities of its staff and agents and assured that the agency would take necessary steps to resolve all misunderstandings.
