Oyo Seals Access Bank, Heritage Bank, and Other Financial Institutions – The government of Oyo State has sealed the locations of Access Bank, Heritage Bank, and other businesses for failing to pay the land use tax.
A statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, revealed that the affected organisations refused to act on the notices sent to them prior to the closure of their business locations.
The state government did not exclude telecommunications masts in the Ibadan metropolitan area, in addition to commercial institutions.
The enforcement squad of the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development was reportedly led by Mr. Olufisayo Ogunbiyi, the Director for Land Use Charge.
Mr. Ogunbiyi assured that as soon as the affected companies pay the requisite land use fee, their business locations will be reopened, noting that the state government has zero tolerance for noncompliance with its policies.
As the exercise is still ongoing, he urged business proprietors to always pay their fees to the state government account to prevent disruptions to their operations.
The Land Use Charge director also encouraged state residents with questions to contact the Ministry at 0700OYOLANDS (070069652637) or lands@oyostate.gov.ng.
According to him, ratepayers can also make Land Use Charge payments by visiting pay.lands.oyostate.gov.ng, and online payments can be made by downloading the Oyo State Property Reference System (OYPRS) from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, which will identify the outstanding building/property and land use charge.
Land officers and representatives of Private Networks Nigeria Ltd, the IGR Consultant for the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, were part of the enforcement team.