Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
No fewer than 25 banks and hotels functioning in the state capital of Awka in Anambra State have been shut down by the government for failing to pay taxes and levies to the state.
Over the weekend, the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service (AIRS) sealed the facilities.
According to information obtained by Tracknews, the levies due primarily related to sanitation, commercial property, and various government taxes.
The Anambra State Internal Revenue Service’s desk officer in charge of the Anambra State Waste Management Authority (ASWAMA), Mr. James-Morgan Ezeodili, said the enforcement was carried out in response to a court order to close off the firms on August 11, 2022.
“This is because they refused to pay the stipulated taxes to the state government and failed to appear in court after being served with a summons.
“The (business sealing) activity was part of the state government’s desire to improve its revenue, and to ensure that the environment was clean by removing garbage across the highways and streets in the state,” he continued.
The Nigeria Police Force, Microfinance Banks, Mumbai Festus Hotel, Finotel Classic Hotel, and Shalom Hotel—all in Awka—were among the establishments sealed.
Others were the Landmark Hotel Nibo, New World Lounge, Summit Splendor Hotel, and Ndiolu Micro Finance Bank.
In the meanwhile, Soludo has outlawed the movement of cattle on foot throughout the entire state.
The Anambra State Cattle Menace Committee met with Soludo at the Government House in Awka over the weekend. Soludo stated that the ban complied with the state’s 2021 Anti-Open Grazing Law and that enforcement would start in September.
The law enforcement officers have been instructed to carry out the open grazing ban now that it is a legal requirement.
Although the rule has been in place for almost a year, cattle rearers continue to parade through some parts of the state in violation of the law, according to Soludo.
The Cattle and Other Livestock Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Bill of Anambra State was signed into law by the state’s former governor, Willie Obiano, in 2021, however he did not carry it out.
In his remarks at the meeting, Soludo promised that his administration will see to it that the law was put into effect by September.
He praised the Anambra State Cattle Menace Committee’s members for their dedication to their jobs and said that while the herders and the Anambra people have generally coexisted peacefully, they must operate within the confines of the law.
