Management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc., yesterday, alleged that the Oyo State government has sealed its offices, following disconnection of electricity supply to the State Secretariat, which also houses the Governor’s Office.
Some of the offices affected in the action include the company’s headquarters in Ring Road, Ibadan, and its offices at Mobil, off Ring Road, Dugbe, Ojoo/Iwo Road office, as well as Monatan.
The DISCO said the state owes it N450 million and it disconnected supply to the State Secretariat over its failure to pay, but the company said the state, through its officials, retaliated by sealing its offices over some contrived debts.
A statement by the COO, John Ayodele, made available to Vanguard, said the state government claimed IBEDC is owing revenue bills and personal income hence the action, but Ayodele said this claim is quite suspicious.
He added that as part of efforts to get the debt paid, initiated several engagements through correspondences and physical meetings, but all efforts yielded no positive result.
The statement reads: “The management of IBEDC, hereby, informs its esteemed customers of the retaliatory and illegal action of the Oyo State Government over the issue of its huge indebtedness.
“The Oyo State Government on Wednesday, February 9, 2022, commenced the sealing of our offices within the state over some suddenly contrived debts labelled revenue bills and personal income without due notification.
“This issue of revenue bills and personal income arising now is quite suspicious. Oyo State government owes IBEDC a whopping consumption outstanding of N450 million for over three years.”
But the Oyo State Board of Internal Revenue explained it sealed offices of IBEDC over a tax default over N400 million.
The board, in a statement by its Chairman, Mr Femi Awakan, said that the state government duly obtained a distraining order of the Oyo State High Court before sealing some of the offices of the distribution company.
Awakan said the state government applied for a warrant to enforce payment through suit No. M/122/2022, which has the Governor of Oyo State, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and the Board of Internal Revenue Service of Oyo State as applicants, while IBEDC is the respondent.
The statement reads: “It is to be noted that the IBEDC has a statutory obligation to deduct and remit revenue bills to the government of Oyo State through the Board of Internal Revenue.
“It is also to be noted that the distribution company failed to remit personal income tax of its employees within the period under review and that the Board of Internal Revenue several times served requisite demand notices calling attention to the company’s tax liabilities/obligations.”
