Benue loses N30 billion to tax evaders, says board

The Benue state Urban Development Board has said that over eight per cent of structures in the state are not built with approved site plan by the board and are therefore illegal.

The board’s General Manager, Apostle Saint Gbilekaa, who made the disclosure in Makurdi on Tuesday while addressing a meeting of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, pointed out that as a result the board in the past 32 years of its operations has lost N30 billion from activities of tax evaders.

According to him, there is the need to sensitize the association on the need to legalize their school structures, noting that most of the high buildings in the state including public and private schools have no approved building plans.

Apposite Gbilekaa said arrangements have been concluded to go after those who contravene the state’s urban and regional planning laws and advised those without building approval plan from the board to obtain theirs.

He warned owners of buildings constructed on roads, streets and water channels to remove them or face the full wrath of the law.

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The general manager revealed that the board has marked down over 500 illegal structures for demolition in an exercise scheduled to start as soon as the rains subside.

Earlier, President and Secretary of the association, Mr. Tabitha Salaudeen and Anthony Idoko respectively, pledged to abide by the town planning laws in developing their schools and called on government to provide infrastructure to better the lot of urban dwellers.