Governor-Rauf-Aregbesola

A group in Osun State the Civil Society Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEO) has declared that the present administration in the state led by Mr. Rauf Aregbesola does not deserve to collect any tax from indigenes of the state because the governor failed to adhere to the provision of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that stipulated the condition for collection of taxes.
Besides, it stated that the administration did not provide any dividend of democracy to the people of the state since November 27th, 2010 that would encourage the citizens to fulfill their obligation to the state government, insisting that the economic situation of the state has been paralyzed due to the anti-people policies of the administration.  In a statement by its Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Sulaiman, while appraising the five years of Aregbesola’s government in the state, he declared that it was Constitutional for the government to collect tax from the citizens in accordance with the section 24(f) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
Sulaiman however supported his argument with the provisions of the sections 14, 15, 16, 17,18,33,34 & fourth schedule of the amended 1999 Constitution where it enumerated the responsibilities of the state and local government areas to the citizenry in their areas, saying that until the state government under Aregbesola met these provisions of the Constitution would citizens perform their obligation of paying taxes.
According to him, “The last five years of administration of Aregbesola is full of maladministration. The government is nothing to write home about and people of the state are yet to come to terms with the tax regime introduced by the state government when the economy of the state has collapsed totally as a result of Aregbesola’s anti-masses policies. Introduction of exorbitant tax regime by the state government when the government failed to perform its responsibilities as stipulated by the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is against the principle of justice, equity and egalitarian society”.
CSCEO boss who alleged that Mr. Aregbesola was ignorant of law and has been working contrary to the Constitutional seventh schedule Oath of allegiance/office of the governor of a state which states government should be for the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in our Country on the principles of Freedom, Equality and Justice and for the purpose of Consolidating the Unity of our people.
The rights activist alleged Aregbesola embarked on white elephant projects which did not have any direct impact on the people of the state, adding that most of the acclaimed projects in the last five years were conduit pipes to siphon the meager resources of the state into private purse of few individuals.  He called on state government to provide social amenities as promised by Mr. Aregbesola during his second term electioneering campaign before he could embark on vigorous collection of tax from the citizens of the state.