Kunle Adelabu
-No education tax in Lagos – Hon. Aro, TGPS
Former Minister of Works and a chieftain of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) in Lagos State, Sen. Adeseye Ogunlewe, and former Commissioner of Agriculture & Cooperatives, Asiwaju Kaoli Olusanya, have called on the state government to ensure that education is free
Sen. Ogunlewe, in particular, urged members of the Lagos State House of Assembly to always consider the residents first in their legislative businesses and called them out to repeal theeducation tax, which he alleged is being imposed on the ordinary Lagosians at the point of registering their children into school.
The elder statesman who spoke on Monday during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Zumratul Islamiyyah Smart Primary School in Igbogbo in Ikorodu Division, alleged that the state government is imposing education tax law on residents which has been increased to N20, 000, stressing such is not acceptable.
“Assembly members are not fair to residents of the state by allowing the state government to enforce the payment of Education Tax and now they have increased it to ₦20, 000
“That is not proper at all and it must be cancelled. We want free education and we don’t want you to collect any money on education through the back door.
“I urge our Assembly members to look into it and pass another law to cancel the existing Education Tax,” Sen. Ogunlewe stated.
Asiwaju Kaoli Olusanya, the former Commissioner for Agriculture who is also a foremost educationist, emphasised that western region is ahead of other regions today because of its investment in education which was started by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo who introduced free education at all levels.
He expressed support for the position of Sen. Ogunlewe that the government must make education free.
“You may think that the N20,000 education levy is small, but some families cannot raise N20,000. There are vulnerable people who cannot pay at all. They even find it very hard to eat. And if you don’t remove that tax, it will increase the number of out-of-school children.
“If we allow the out -of -school children to increase in the community system, it will be detrimental to our future,” he said
Meanwhile, the Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary, Education District II, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Omotayo Sanni, who was also at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Zumratul Islamiyyah Smart Primary School in Igbogbo, Ikorodu, clarified that there is no education tax in the state.
“Senator, there is nothing like education tax in Lagos State. There is no part of the Lagos State Tax Law that provides for education tax. What we are saying is that let every resident of the state pay their tax and there must be enforcement.
“The reality that we are doing free education and embarking on a lot of development in the state costs money.
“One thing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu does not joke with is free education and access to education that leaves no child behind. That is the policy.
“It is just that once you have your tax certificate, which is expected of you, and you present it at the point of registering your child, you will register and they will not ask you to pay any money. For everybody to benefit from social services, you must pay tax.”
He explained that the money being asked for those without a tax certificate is to serve as their own tax payment to the state.
“Let everybody know that there is nothing like education tax, but if you are bringing your child for enrolment in school, you must have paid your tax for the year as an artisan or civil servant, and have your tax certificate to register your child.
Mr Governor and the Assembly has never enacted any law for education tax and he has no intention of doing that,” he said
Hon. Aro Moshood Abiodun, representative of Ikorodu Constituency II, Lagos State House of Assembly, also assured the political leaders and stakeholders at the ground breaking that there is nothing like education tax in the state.
He also stated that the state government is only encouraging residents to pay their tax if they want to enjoy free education.
