Kayode Shopekan
CENTRAL Bank of Nigeria has issued a directive, ordering all Commercial Banks In Niger State to embark on an indefinite strike, if the state’s Internal Revenue Service does not withdraw the tax levied against them, before Monday the 13th of Sept 2021.
In line with intelligence gathered, eight banks and three other enterprises have already been shut by state inland revenue service, for failing to pay a total tax liability of N460 million to the state government’s coffers.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelCurrently, all banks in Minna are closed, with the directive that ATMs be shut as well.
The Banker’s Committee in the state has also reiterated the the threat in an email, ordering the Niger State Board of Internal Revenue to reopen the closed banks and retract the tax claims levied against them or the strike continues.
Reacting to the development, Special Adviser, Media and Communications, Niger State Internal Revenue Agency, Hussaini Abdulrahman, has explained this as an attempt to blackmail the state internal revenue service.
In his words, “this strike was instigated by Access Bank. A letter was written to Access Bank to come forward and clear their outstanding debt. Instead of responding in the right way, they went and manipulated other banks using Bankers Committee and started the strike.”
