Mohammed Shosanya

The Federal House of Representatives,Thursday urged the Federal Inland Revenue Service to recover all taxes totalling over N5.19trn owed the Federal Government by Ministries, Departments and Agencies, oil companies as well as individuals.

Its resolution followed the adoption of a motion on the floor of the House on Thursday, moved by member representing Oredo Federal Constituency of Edo State, Esosa Iyawe.

In his lead debate on the motion titled, “Alleged non-remittance and under-remittance of tax by Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government, oil companies and other organisations,” the Labour Party chieftain recalled that in 2021, “The FIRS revealed that the sum of N17. 69bn was owed in taxes by some companies, whose addresses were untraced till date, but no action was taken to locate or recover the funds.”

According to him, “Audit reports from 2015 to 2019 revealed government agencies owing hundreds of billions in FIRS taxes comprising underpayments and under recoveries and over 5,000 companies and MDAs of the Federal Government owing N5.2trn in withholding taxes.”

Hon. Esosa further argued that under-remittance and non-remittance of tax deprive the Federal Government of much needed funds to drive its policies for national development, stressing that if the situation is not urgently addressed, “The effect could be crippling on the country’s already dwindling economy.”

He maintained that small-scale businesses in Nigeria are frustrated by multiple taxation by the FIRS while “States and Local Government Authorities, multinational companies and other corporate organisations are getting the kidglove treatment.”

Following the adoption of the motion, the House urged FIRS to embark on tax recovery drive while also mandating the Committees on Public Accounts and Finance to investigate the non-compliance on tax remittance by MDAs of government, Oil Companies and other organisations, “With a view to ensuring that all debts in taxes owed the Federal Government are duly recovered, and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.”

Mohammed Shosanya

Mr Sylvanus Tahir SAN, lawyer to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Thursday, told Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, that a former governor of Anambra state, Chief Willie Obiano, has been evading service of court processes in his on going trial.

He was arraigned on January 24, on a 9-count criminal charge over alleged pilfering of N4billion belonging to the Anambra state government, and was subsequently granted bail based on the terms of an earlier administrative bail, granted him by the EFCC.

Some of the counts read, “That you, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, whilst being the executive governor of Anambra State of Nigeria between March 2014 – March 2022, sometime between 7th February, 2018 to 18th February, 2019 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly transferred through Mr Willie Nwokoye, your then principal private secretary, the sum of N156,800.00 only from the Anambra State Government Security Vote Account into an account belonging to C.I. Patty Ventures Nigeria Ltd (an entity that had no business relationship with the Anambra State Government), which funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated/unconnected with the security affairs of Anambra State, which you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: (Stealing and Corruption) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.

“That you, Chief Willie Maduabuchi Obiano, whilst being the executive governor of Anambra State of Nigeria between March 2014 — March 2022, sometime between 9th August, 2017 to 4th March, 2020 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly transferred through Mr Willie Nwokoye, your then principal private secretary, the sum of N261,268,585.00 only from the Anambra State Government Security Vote to another account belonging to Easy Diamond Integrated Link (an entity that had no business relationship with the Anambra State Government), which funds were dissipated for purposes unrelated/unconnected with the security affairs of Anambra State, which you reasonably ought to have known that such funds formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful act, to wit: (Stealing and Corruption) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) in 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.”

At the resumed trial on Thursday, the EFCC counsel told the court that he had received the defendant’s motion challenging jurisdiction of the court to hear the case as well as seeking quashing of the charge filed against him.

But,Tahir told the court that while attempting to serve the defendant’s counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu SAN, with his counter affidavit, he found their gate locked.

He informed the court that all efforts made to effect the service of the processes were unsuccessful.

Tahir said he managed to serve the counter affidavit in the court room on Thursday.

Meanwhile,Patrick Ekweto SAN, who stood in for Ikpeazu, requested time to respond to EFCC’s counter affidavit.

Justice Ekwo in a short ruling, granted the defendant two days to file and serve their processes on the EFCC.

The Judge subsequently fixed March 13, for the motion to be heard.

Meanwhile,in a motion on notice filed before the court, Obiano is claiming that there is a subsisting appeal by the Anambra state government challenging the authority of the EFCC to investigate the funds.

In the motion filed by his lead counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu SAN, Obiano argued that there was no connection between the proof of evidence and the alleged accusation against him.

He averred that there was no testimony from any witness indicating that he issued directives for the disbursement of security votes and other funds belonging to the Anambra state government.