By Gabriel Enogholase
BENIN – EDO State Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) in collaboration with the State Ministry of Lands and Survey Wednesday, sealed up NNPC Mega filling station, along  Sapele Road and eight other landed properties in Benin City over their failure to pay their Ground Rent.

The exercise which was jointly supervised by the Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Housing, Mr. Calistus Ojeabu and Chief Oseni Elamah, Chairman, Edo State Board of Internal Revenue also sealed up Laipharmachin (House of Igbinedion), plot 28, Vincent Agenmonmen Avenue, GRA; Cable and Rod Nigeria Limited (Ritz Hotel), plots D14, D18 and D19, Golf Course Road; United Bank for Africa (UBA), plot 133, Aiguobasinwin Crescent, GRA.

Others are First Bank of Nigeria Plc assigned to one Osarenwida Osunde, plot 100, Aiguobasinwin Crescent; plot 118, Aiguobasinwin Crescent, GRA, Guinness Nigeria Plc, plot 61, Commercial Avenue, GRA; plot 22, Reservation Road, GRA and plot 29 (former UAC), No. 2, Commercial Road, all in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

Speaking with newsmen on the exercise, Mr. Calistus Ojeabu disclosed that the sealing was necessitated by the non-compliance by the property owners to pay their ground rent amounting to a billion naira.

“They are expected to pay the Rent even without notifying them in advance as we are not supposed to issue demand. They are supposed to pay as at when due. Since they have defied the law that is why we are sealing up these premises today”, Mr. Ojeabu said.

“We will continue to seal up defaulters’ premises until they comply with the law”, he said adding that the next segment of the ground rent enforcement exercise will be carried out next week.

The commissioner however, harp on the need for tax payers to promptly pay up their tax, saying that the state government was in dire of money for development, which he said “is the driving force of the Governor Oshiomhole’s developmental rebirth enjoyed by all in the state presently”.