Senior Pastor, Christ Holy Church (Nation Builders) located at Uwalaka Street, Umuahia, Rev. Adolphus Ohamara, has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Abia State government to unseal his church as it was strange to shut down a place of worship for default in payment of taxes or levies.
The Ministry of Physical, Urban Planning and Infrastructural Development, last Thursday, sealed the church, among other houses in Umuahia for defaulting in the payment of N30,000 being levy for data capturing of buildings.
An official, Mr. Kennedy Izuwa told Daily Sun that the Ministry was responsible for the sealing, adding that owners of affected houses must pay N100,000 fine in addition to the N30,000 levy before their houses could be unsealed.
A notice on the buildings warned that attempts to remove the seal, or break the chains on the gates without authorization would attract a jail term.
However, piqued by the continued placement of the church under seal, Rev. Adolphus Ohamara,, yesterday, demanded that the seal be removed from the church and threatened that the Government should “take what they see” if they fail to head his plea.
The cleric said churches are exempted from taxation under any guise, and that the action of government smacked of disrespect for God.
Rev. Ohamara said he had lodged a complain with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and that the Chairman of CAN had informed him that “churches don’t pay infrastructural levy”. He said CAN, years back, had dragged government to court over the matter and got judgement in favour of churches.
NAN
