The Osun State Internal Revenue Service (OIRS) has shut down the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, over an alleged non payment of taxes worth N1.844,770,939.45 to the agency.
The institution was shut by officials of the Revenue Task Force who arrived the campus at about 7:00 on Wednesday morning, May 2,2018
The team was led by Mr Oladipo Babatunde, sealed the Senate building, the administrative block and the bursary,the main gate and Road seven of Quarters but the lecture rooms and hostels were said to have been left untouched by the tax collectors.
The closure of OAU and other establishments in the state followed the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum issued to all affected establishments by the state government.
Mr Babatunde revealed they had no choice than to seal since the OAU management has refused to meet up with the deadline given to them.
He added that the money owed is outstanding unremitted PAYE withholding taxes and developments levy which had become due and payable since year 2015 and 2016.
Meanwhile, the school management through the Public Relations Officer has reacted to the development. Mr Abiodun Olanrewaju,OAU Public Relations Officer confirmed the debt and stated that the debt was inherited from the past administration of the institution.
In his words , "I must add this that the present university administration since 2017 has been paying consistently but the backlog of debt inherited from the past administration is what is causing this little problem.""
He however assured that the issue will soon be sorted out with the state government.
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