PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday, met
with the Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, over the shutting down
of Benin Airport by the Edo State Board of Internal Revenue.
Emerging from the meeting, Oshiomhole told
State House correspondents in Abuja that he had explained the incident to the
president, adding that the matter had now been fully resolved.
According to him, “I just flew from Benin. I
landed here and it is a proof that the airport is working. Actually, it was one
of those unfortunate incidents and I have briefed the president.”
The governor explained the circumstances
surrounding the closure of the airport, stressing that it was not the intention
of the state government, which was only interested in getting remitances from
the staff of the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
“We only tried to enforce the tax law. I know
it’s a federal law. It is not tenement rate contrary to what the General
Manager of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said.
“It is about Pay As You Earn. Those who work
for FAAN and those who work for NAMA who live in Edo State under the law, their
taxes are deducted from source by the authorities and they are obliged in law
to remit such monies within 30 days.
“But the money in question was deducted as far
back 2010/2011 and we are now in 2013. We made all the revenue board to get
FAAN management to remit the money and they refused.
“The only lawful thing that we had to do in a
democracy was to approach the court and show the relevant section of the law
which obliges FAAN and NAMA to remit Pay As You Earn and point out the fact
that when you don’t do that, it is criminal,” he said.
Oshiomhole, who observed that failure to pay
tax in other countries attract prison terms, blamed FAAN for the closure of the
airport and the inconvenience suffered by passenger.
“The revenue board, having obtained the court
order, went to serve it on the FAAN manager office, which is about 400 metres
away from the airport, but the manager felt that the only way he can draw
public attention, recognising the essential nature of the airport, is to shut
it down.
“So, he, by himself, decided to lock all the
gates to the airport to make it inaccessible and the plane that landed, he
decided to prevent the plane from boarding passengers. He compelled the plane
to fly back to Lagos empty, all in a bid to draw public attention in what
appears to be inconveniences to him. He now extended it and that led to the
drama that you saw,” he said.
The governor pointed out that both the federal
and state governments were not antagonistic but complementary, saying “for me,
this thing about federal and state, there is one common denominator and that is
the welfare and well-being of Edo people.”
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