The Osun State authorities has accused telecommunications big MTN Nigeria of owing over N900 million in unpaid taxes, urging the Nigerian Communications Fee (NCC) to step in and resolve the problem.
The event adopted MTN’s latest donations to the federal authorities regardless of the alleged debt.
Rotimi George-Taylor, a guide to the Osun State Authorities on telecommunications infrastructure and chairman of World Transactions Restricted, voiced his issues throughout a press convention on Tuesday in Osogbo, the state capital. He criticised MTN for donating N1 billion to the federal authorities’s meals assist programme and offering 4,600 digital gadgets to colleges whereas allegedly neglecting its tax obligations to Osun State authorities.
“MTN ought to have met its constitutional obligations earlier than making such donations,” George-Taylor said. He additional famous that the corporate has laid over 270 kilometers of cables in Osun State however has “refused to pay statutory taxes,” which he described as a violation of the state’s legal guidelines and laws.
George-Taylor, due to this fact, warned that working within the state with out adhering to related legal guidelines and accumulating substantial unpaid payments sends a unfavourable sign. He urged the federal authorities to make sure that corporations like MTN fulfill their constitutional obligations earlier than being allowed to have interaction in high-profile public relations actions.
“I’ve handled many multinational corporations, however I’ve not encountered what MTN Nigeria is doing,” George-Taylor remarked. “Whereas it’s ordinarily commendable for a multinational firm to donate N1 billion to our nation, this noble act comes off as questionable when the identical firm owes Osun State over N900 million.”
He referred to as on the NCC to behave as an neutral arbiter and make sure that Osun State shouldn’t be disadvantaged of its rightful revenue by MTN. “It’s crucial that NCC lives as much as its place to make sure that Osun State shouldn’t be defrauded of its reputable revenue by MTN,” he added.
Olawale Rasheed, spokesperson for Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, echoed George-Taylor’s sentiments, stressing the necessity for MTN to settle its excellent dues. Rasheed highlighted that immediate fee would bolster MTN’s fame as a accountable company entity dedicated to compliance with state legal guidelines.
“Osun has a disciplined authorities that’s deploying its scarce assets to delivering on good governance,” Rasheed mentioned. “Even at board stage, MTN ought to know the reputable funds belonging to the state are for good governance.”
He urged MTN to set a optimistic instance for different telecom and multinational corporations by respecting native legal guidelines. “What the corporate wouldn’t do in South Africa ought to by no means be practiced right here in Nigeria,” Rasheed asserted. “Far more importantly, the corporate ought to think about how disappointing it’s for it to cheat the house state of its Nigerian head.”
