(Special Report) Why Minister must stop Adeleke before he cripples MNOs in Osun
The Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, last week gave a matching order to the
Global Transaction Nigeria Limited (GTNL), a company saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that telecommunications infrastructure complies with laws of Osun State, to accost Telecoms main network operators (MNOs), for aggressive environmental tax compliance.
The target is to make money for the state in the name of standard control activities in the state.
Unfortunately, this order from the Governor is coming at a time the telecoms regulator has been crying over the jumping multiple taxation on telecoms which has reached 46 according to the Chairman of ALTON, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo.
Accordingly, one of the major duties of the new ministry, who incidentally is an industry personality, will be to immediately approach the Osun Governor to rescind or give that order a human face to avoid further squeezing of telecom firms who are struggling to remain in business.
Business Hilights recalls that the Executive Chairman, Mr. Rotimi George Taylor, made this known while fielding questions from journalists on the readiness of the company to carry out audits and inspections of existing installations within the state to ensure compliance with relevant regulations and ensure notices, guidelines and regulations necessary to enforce contravention against owners and developers of installations in breach of regulations are done.
Taylor, who lamented how some of the telecommunications companies have been trying to evade dues said Osun State government through GTNL, would do everything within the confine of law particularly the State of Osun Environmental Protection Law 2022 to ensure the companies fulfill their financial obligations.
According to the Executive Chairman, since all those companies came to the state to do their businesses, it was incumbent upon them to pay their dues since the state government had deemed it fit to provide enabling environment for their business to grow.
He hinted that in the next three months, the GTNL would strive to garner half a billion to the cover of the state.
He, however, commended Governor Ademola Adeleke, who he said, had decided not to put the burden on the citizens of the state, adding that he had contacted them to carry out audits and inspections of existing installations and to generate revenue for the state.
