Private school owners under the aegis of the
National Association of Proprietors of Private
Schools in Ondo State (NAPPS) yesterday 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.