Hajia Hassana Salawu, Director in charge of MDAs, addressing journalists

Richard Elesho

Only substantial compliance with the terms and conditions of their service as gazetted by the Kogi State government will return the communication giant MTN to full operation in the state.

This was disclosed at a press briefing jointly addressed in Lokoja on Friday by Kogi State Internal Revenue Service officials, KGIRS, and the Kogi State Utility Infrastructure Management and Compliance Agency, KUIMCA.

The government has been at loggerheads with the network provider for the past two weeks, leading to the forceful and total closure of their services in most parts of the state. The trade fiasco has led to the near collapse of many businesses and social life.

Hajia Hassana Salawu, Director in charge of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs of the Service, who stood in for the state revenue boss, Salihu Enehe, accused the MTN of not only evading tax obligations, but also parading irrelevant documentation whenever confronted.

She explained that part of the dispute has to do with the size of the company’s optical fibre in the state. She alleged that while the company claimed to have 40, a verification exercise showed that they have 199, noting that such an attitude is condemnable.

“The state government, in conjunction with the Nigerian Communications Commission NCC, had initially relaxed enforcement to allow for resolution. Unfortunately, MTN chose not to take advantage of this opportunity,” the KGIRS boss added.

Taufiq Isa, KUIMCA Director General, corroborated the allegations. “Upon my assumption of office last August, I reviewed their files and discovered that they had not fully complied with the rules guiding their operations in the state. I called them for a discussion, during which they complained of being overbilled regarding the area of the state covered by their optical fibre.

“I accompanied them on a verification exercise to assess their claim, which took about four days, and we found that they were covering even more areas than they had claimed.

“We asked them to make the necessary payments, but MTN refused. That is why we sealed off their facilities after obtaining a court order to do so,” Isa said.

The officials did not mention the exact figure of the tax that the company refused to pay. They urged residents of the state to be patient with the government, assuring them that their interests are being protected.

Meanwhile, an anonymous source close to the MTN objected to the tag of irresponsibility. He said the network provider is detailed when it comes to data management and compliance with government rules.

He explained that the government’s figure does not tally with the company’s, emphasising that part of what the state is requesting amounts to double taxation. He regretted the overall impact of the current dispute on security, banking, and other businesses and expressed hope that it would be resolved soon.