The Executive Chairman, Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS), Igbinidu Inneh has disclosed plans to collaborate with the Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED), as a legitimate operator on revenue administration by identifying all taxable members of the association.
Inneh made this disclosure when he played host to the state controller, international patron and members of the association, who were on an advocacy visit to the Executive Chairman and management team of EIRS. He said the collaboration was to ensure members of AFED are on the right side of the law, with regards to revenue administration.
He explained EIRS’ efforts at improving revenue administration in the state saying, “the EIRS has developed an in-house technology platform (ERAS) that is one hundred percent intellectual property of the Edo State Internal Revenue Service.”
He revealed that “the technology solution is the first of its kind in Nigeria and the most robust revenue administration system that has been developed in Africa today with a significant capacity for data storage and handling, noting that the platform is not only a revenue administration system but a citizens’ engagement platform, that will afford members of AFED to be identified and give them the opportunity to occupy a prominent role as far as education is concerned.”
The EIRS Executive Chairman, Igbinidu Inneh also commended AFED for providing quality education at an affordable cost to the people of Edo State.
He said: “AFED’s education programme is a veritable tool and good plan upon which government, as far as government policy is concerned, can be extended to areas not served by public schools.”
The EIRS boss informed of the state government’s efforts at reforming the education sector. According to him, “The current administration has made a lot of emphasis on basic education and so, you will find a lot of reforms happening within that space.” He encouraged AFED for a continuous engagement in other to sustain a handshake between the association’s objectives and government’s policies and programmes.
Earlier, the State Controller of AFED, Erhunmwunse Godsent Osagie while appreciating the efforts of the EIRS at generating revenue for the state, he said: “we believe in the payment of tax, we know that your role is critical towards the development of our dear state. Without tax payment, there will be no development.”
Osage said the association is not unaware of the progress made so far by the EIRS since Igbinidu Inneh’s coming on board as Executive Chairman.
He informed the revenue boss that AFED is an educational association, which has as its mission, to provide quality educational services to the less privilege in the society particularly children from low income families at a low and affordable cost. He said: “AFED has over a thousand membership strength in Edo State since its formation eighteen years ago.”
Describing as worrisome, Osagie said “a research study shows that over ten point five million children are out of school in Nigeria owing to high cost of school fees. But can only be reversed, if there is public private partnership aimed at ensuring that every Nigerian child have access to quality and low cost education.”
In his remark, international patron of AFED, Prof. James Nicholas Tooley informed the EIRS boss that AFED as an association of low cost private schools has assisted in employing over a hundred thousand teachers serving over a million children which has further reduced the number of out of school children.
