National Telescope national telescope newspaper
The Founder of Thomas Adewumi College, Oko (TAICO) Kwara State, Dr Johnson Bamidele Adewumi, has condemned high taxes imposed on owners of private educational institutions in the country.
Adewumi, who called for a more friendly tax policy emphasized that such institutions were established to revitalise fallen standard of education in Nigeria.
Speaking at the grand finale of the 20th anniversary of his college, Adewumi disclosed that the government asked the college to remit 3.5 million naira as tax annually.
“Government has asked us to pay about N3.5m annually as ground rent. Government should not see education as a commercial venture. Instead, it should commend the efforts of the people using their resources to improve education standard.
He said he has no business investing in the education sector, if government is doing the right thing. “We give countless scholarships to indigent students, just as we have produced many leaders and technocrats who are well tutored to take over the duties of leadership in the country.”
According to him, the school which also runs ‘A’ levels programme has also built a 26-bed hospital for use by its host community.
