Ododo stops tax clearance as prerequisite for students’ registration in schools

Gov. Ahmed Ododo of Kogi on Wednesday directed the stoppage of Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) as prerequisite for students’ registration into tertiary institutions.

Alhaji Sule Enehe, Chairman, Kogi State Revenue Services (KGSIR), made the disclosure in a press conference held in Lokoja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Kogi government had on, Jan. 8, declared that the presentation of parents’ Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC), was a mandatory condition for admission into tertiary institutions.

The said policy, which he claimed, was ongoing for the past two years at the Prince Abubakar Audu University, Ayingba and others was aimed at shoring up the revenue profile of the state to run government and provide social amenities to citizens.

The policy had also generated some controversy with some public and civil society organisations faulting it as an infringement of children’s fundamental rights to education.

Enehe, however, pointed out that the stoppage of the usage of the presentation of parents/guardians tax clearance certificate at the point of registration into tertiary institutions was sequel to public outcry.

“With this directive of the governor, no student should be denied registration into tertiary institution on the ground of non presentation of parents/guardians TCC.

“Again, it is still mandatory for every parent to pay his/her personal income tax and collect his/her tax clearance certificate as provided for by the Nigerian constitution.

“This is because their wards might not enjoy some privileges such as bursary allowance and others at some point while in their various institutions of learning, ” he said.

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On illegal tax collection by some unknown persons who block the highway, he said the service had clamped down on them and had arrested several with 43 people being prosecuted.

According to him, the service will not rest on its oars at giving such saboteurs no room to defraud the state nor rob innocent citizens of their hard earned monies.

Enehe disclosed that the service was targeting collection of N35.1 billion as revenue in 2025 having raked in N27.7 billion in 2024.

He said that the service had deployed modern technology to ease payment of taxes by business owners and individuals all in the aim to shore up the revenue base of the state.