The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Edo State Command, Mr. Sam Odukoya and some senior officers of the Command has paid a courtesy visit to the Executive Chairman, Edo State Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Igbinidu Inneh stressing the need for the continuous collaboration between the two bodies at all levels.
During the visit, he congratulated the Executive Chairman on his appointment and also briefed the Chairman on their success in trying to eliminate the scourge of the production of fake driver’s licenses, saying that through their own investigations, the Command have caught some persons with fake driver’s license and subsequently handed them over to the police.
He stressed the need for increased number of Driver’s License Centres (DLCs) across the State as the existing ones are not enough to deal with the number of drivers in the State.
Mr. Odukoya while speaking, also informed the Executive Chairman of the successes recorded in the recovery of stolen vehicles within the state and attributed the success to the transparent processes involved in the registration of vehicles by the revenue service.
The Executive Chairman in his reaction, expressed the service’s appreciation for the cordial relationship which has existed between the FRSC and the Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS) and urged for its sustenance.
Mr. Inneh said on assumption of office, the first thing the Board needed to do was to construct a S.W.O.T analysis and its interpretation, upon which an area of weakness identified, was the unavailability of data and it formed part of the six (6) critical success factors. Stating that under these were three main profiles by which government revenues are generated and they include Assets- be it fixed or mobile, informal sector- fixed and mobile locations, formal business- fixed locations and online or remote.
He disclosed that under the Assets group there are buildings-either commercial, industrial or otherwise, from where revenues are generated and it is governed by the Land Use Charge. However, the mobile assets like the vehicles, be it private, commercial, heavy duty vehicles, tricycle and motor bikes are areas where the FRSC are critical, because the administrations and operators of these vehicles is a shared responsibility for the two bodies and one of the steps taken includes the automation of motor vehicle registration administration which goes beyond just registering but also by ensuring they renew their vehicle licenses every year and to also see that our responsibility of ensuring that the lives and other mobile assets owned by other citizens are also secured which is the whole essence of insurance of motor vehicles.
The chairman however, said the Service will seek ways to partner with the FRSC to ensure that vehicle owners comply with the provisions of the law and order regulations as far as road use and motor vehicle is concerned stating that the main objective is not about how much is gotten, but more about securing the lives and properties of people who operate within Edo State. He therefore said, there is need for them to have unique numbers that tie the owners of these vehicles to a digital platform, where one is able to pull out at a glance, information about the owner’s activities and locations of a particular vehicle.
On the issue of creating new offices for Driver’s License issuance, Mr. Igbinidu said that the Revenue Service will take a holistic view of the state to making a decision on how many new offices were needed for the operation. He assured the Sector Commander of the Service’s commitment to working together in taking Edo State to an enviable height.
The Chairman then presented some Tax enlightenment materials to the Sector Commander.
