Armed Forces Remembrance Day Service: Cleric Advocates the Need for Tax Payment

By Michael Olanrewaju, Osogbo

The Vicar of All Souls’ Anglican Church Oke fia, Osogbo, Venerable Williams S. A. Ojelade has advocated the need for citizens to be paying taxes regularly for the government to realize its goals.

Ven.  Ojelade who canvassed this at the Armed Forces Remembrance Service held in the church on Sunday, January 8, 2016, said payment of taxes would make the citizens patriotic and responsible.

According to him, it was by so doing that the government can execute its programmes of infrastructural development and provisions like good motorable roads, schools, and hospitals as well as other sectors of life.

He lauded the Osun government in the area of the provision of infrastructures, most especially roads as well as promotion of religious harmony. He therefore, enjoined the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola to continue to do more for the benefits of the citizenry.

However, Ven. Ojelade called on the administration to explore the possibility of granting tax bonus to those paying well regularly as a way of encouraging them as it is done in some advanced country.

The theme of the service was to fulfill all righteousness, which according to the Vicar means that it is the responsibility of the citizens to obey those in authority of which tax payment is one of the cardinal areas.

In his sermon, Venerable Ojelade stated that the Anglican Communion and the Christendom in general is today celebrating the Baptism of Jesus Christ who had devoted his life for humanity to live which coincide  with the armed forces remembrance day.

According to him “the celebration enjoins Christians to key into baptism, sacrament and communion. As Jesus died for the world to live, so are the fallen heroes that fought and died in the Nigerian Civil War fought for the unity, protection and peace of all Nigerians.”

The Vicar admonished all and sundry not to let the lessons of the sacrifices that the fallen heroes had left to be forgotten by maintaining peace and unity in the country.

As an antidote to peaceful coexistence, the Cleric called on all Nigerians regardless of ethnic and religious backgrounds to love one and other at all times and accommodates each other instead of tolerance.

At the Church Service, Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was represented by his deputy, Chief Mrs Grace Titilayo Tomori. In her entourage were the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, State Head of Service, Mr Sunday Owoeye, former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Honourable Sunday Akere and other top state government functionaries.

Also in attendance were the Deputy Commander General and Chairman Nigeria Legion Osun State, Commander Alimi Samotu, the representative of the Army Commandant, Army Command Ed, the Controller of Prison Service, Osun State Command, and Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) as well as other security agencies.