‘Shutting Of nddc Premises, Not Politically Motivated’

Special Adviser to the Rivers State Governor on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) matters, Aribitoye Okiri has said that the sealing off of the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt does not have any political undertone.
Okiri while speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt further said that the commission has not behaved responsibly in terms of tax payment to the Rivers State Government over the years.
He maintained that it is the statutory obligation of the NDDC to pay taxes to the state government, just as he condemned what he described as an attempt by the commission to undermine the state government.
It would b recalled that Chairman of the Rivers State Internal Revenue Service (RIRS), Adoage Norteh, had explained that the NDDC premises were sealed off because the commission refused to make their financial records available for audit, accusing the interventionist agency of owing the state government withholding tax allegedly to the tune of N50bn.
According to Norteh “The place is sealed off; we got a court order to seal off the place. We had gone to court to say that we are frustrated by the antics of NDDC. They had assessed themselves last year (2018) and admitted that they were indebted to the tune of N671m, but they did not pay.
“When we now seal the office (last year), they then paid. We told them that we are going to audit their books, but since last year to this time, they (NDDC) has refused to allow us have access to it, “the RIRS boss had said.
To this end, Okiri said, “What I will say is that the Chairman of the Board (Norteh) has briefed us and he told us that the reason for the action taken by the tax man is not politically motivated. It arose from the fact that NDDC has behaved irresponsibly.
“They (NDDC) have failed to pay their taxes here in Rivers State. They have failed to open their books for audit,”Wike aide stated.

Dennis Naku