Private school owners under the aegis of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools in Ondo State (NAPPS) today staged a peaceful protest over what they described as heavy and killing tax imposed on them by the State government.
Members of the association, who expressed their grievances by marching from Igbatoro road to the state secretariat, were prevented from proceeding further to the governor’s Office at Alagbaka Akure.
The union earlier gave a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to reverse its policies and reduce the taxes or it would embark on what could negatively affect the education sector in the state.
Speaking with reporters, shortly after, NAPPS President, Goke Orimoloye, said the series of taxes being collected from the schools by the government was suffocating the smooth development of private educational institutions in the state.
Orimoloye said they had gathered for the protest because it had gotten to an elastic limit, saying they could no longer keep quiet, as the government collects an aggregate tax levies amounting to N3million annually from an average size school.
He noted that due to the inconsistent policies of the state government, private schools now had to pay huge sums of money for the state government, Ministry of Education and the local governments on the same form of taxation.
He condemned the antics used by government agents in collecting the taxes, saying sometimes, they would lock up the schools and chase away their students.
He lamented that education had been commercialized in the state, despite government’s self acclaimed achievements in the sector.
The NAPPS President said, “The Board of Internal Revenue do collect N2,000,000 yearly, we pay the Ministry of Education a renewal college fee for (college) N125,000 and N80,000 for Primary.
“We pay N30,000 to the local government on Premises Business. The Ministry of Education also collect N90,000 for JSS 3 Examination for 60 Students, while SS 2 Examination we pay N55,000 for 55 students.
“For the Primary six School examination, the ministry of education also collect from us, 50,000 for 50 pupils. Our Tenement rates which we pay to the local government is between N50,000 to N120,000 yearly.
“Local government vehicle document (mobile advert) is N20,000. Signage to the Board of Internal Revenue is N15,000.
“Rebranding of vehicle in FRSC colour (per bus) N150,000; we are also paying re-accredication fees for Colleges to the Ministry of Education for N50,000 and Primary for N30,000. For Sanitation we pay N50,000. In total, the ministry of education is collecting N480,000 yearly from us, local government, N50,000, Board of internal revenue, N2,015,200; FRSC, N150,000 and Ministry of Environment, N50,000.”
“Rather than give us an audience, they have resulted into threat, intimidation and harassment of our members. The meeting that was held yesterday was a ploy by the government to frustrate what we are doing today and those that attended the meeting are in government pay-roll or officials of the government”.
He noted that the issue of re accreditation fee on secondary schools came up few weeks ago when the government directed them to pay N50,000 for accreditation for WAEC centres including schools that had been accredited before.
Orimoloye said it was only in Ondo State that Private School proprietors were charged exorbitantly when compared with other states in the south west.
“For instance, we are paying N125,000 for renewal fee, while other states like Ekiti pay N39,000, Edo, N11,000, Osun, 30,000 and presently Ogun is not collecting renewal fees from the Proprietors,” he said.
He also stated that all attempts made by the association to have a dialogue with the governor, Olusegun Mimiko, had been unfruitful as they were denied access to see him unlike the NURTW, ACCOMORON, among others.
Orimoloye said the government had failed to realize that private schools were providing unemployment to young graduates, urging the government to stop treating them like prisoners in their own state.
But, the State Commissioner for Education, Jide Adejuyigbe said a seven-man committee comprising members of the union would be constituted to resolve the dispute.
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