Catholic church warns Gov Fayose

– Catholic diocese of Ekiti has described a new tax regime in Ekiti which requires pupils in primary and secondary schools to pay N500 and N1,000 fees as burdensome

– The church threatens to file legal action against the government in the circumstance that any of the schools run by the Catholic church is disturbed for the new tax

– The bishop of the diocese, Felix Ajakaye says no law empowers the state government of Ekiti to impose education development levy on pupils/students of mission schools

The Catholic diocese of Ekiti has told Governor Ayo Fayose to exempt its schools from payment of the education development levy imposed on primary and secondary pupils in both state-owned and private schools in the state or risk being dragged to court.

The church speaking on the backdrop of a new tax regime in Ekiti state which requires pupils in primary and secondary schools are to pay N500 and N1,000 education development levy respectively said it will not pay the money, The Punch reports.

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The bishop of the diocese, Rev. Felix Ajakaye, in a press statement made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, April 21, said the state government had the mandatory obligation to provide free and compulsory education for every child of primary to junior secondary school classes, according to the Ekiti state universal basic education board law, 2005.

He threatened to file a legal action against the government “in the circumstance that any of the schools under my custody is disturbed.

“No law empowers the state government of Ekiti to impose Education Development Levy on pupils/students of mission schools in Ekiti state.”

Bishop Ajakaye described the new tax as another burden on parents whom he said were already overwhelmed with taxes in different forms by the state government.

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He said schools established by the church had been paying various levies and taxes demanded by both local and state governments and saw no need for the new tax system.

In another development, the Service Chiefs of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the National Security Adviser (NSA) yesterday shunned the Nigerian Senate’s invitation to discuss the ongoing anti-Boko Haram campaign and attempts to rescue the abducted Chibok girls.

According to Leadership, no explanation was given for their absence, and only the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase and the Director-General of the Department of State Security (DSS) Lawal Daura were in attendance.

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