Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has taken a practical step to boost the internally generated revenue of the state which has continued to dwindle by inaugurating the Edo State Internal Revenue Service Board.
Speaking while inaugurating the Board, in his office, the Governor said there was the need to build strong individuals if the country is to make progress in the comity of nations.
He said “we have since established the Edo State Board of Internal Revenue Service and the whole idea is to create an institution that is not going to be bogged down by the usual civil service bureaucracy. We do need to be able to collect taxes and to collect efficiently and to ensure that taxes collected are all reflected in the accounts of Government.
“The taxes we collected, small as it has even reduced and yet government is still working on projects in various areas. The Federal Government immediately after the elections abandoned their projects. We will not deceive our people at the eve of election, for us, service is the basis why we are in government and we must sustain it.
“Some of the modest achievements we have made are the result of meticulous planning but also a determination to do things differently. The basis for the last election campaign was change. We have changed not just the president, we have changed the way Nigerian is governed, and we have changed the way Edo State is governed. So these reforms are in attempt to make these changes a reality.
“Today, I am proud to say to our people that we are proud to say to our people that we are one of the few states, maybe not up to ten or fifteen states across the country that is able to pay salaries as they say tough times don’t last, tough people do”, he said.
“Rather than we lamenting, we rather take extraordinary steps to ensure that we succeed. We cannot influence international oil prices that are beyond us, we cannot even influence how much we sell. That is in the hands of the federal government, but we can influence what we do to ensure that those who are taxable under our laws, that is the laws of the federal republic of Nigeria pay tax and when they do pay, the money is kept in government coffers. That way, the taxpayers will be empowered to ask questions on how his money is spent. That is why you find out that across the school we are building, the roads we are constructing, our erosion control, and our urban renewal, everything we are doing we try to put the sign board. This is tax payers’ money. It is not the governor’s personal goodwill.
“It is the outcome of the taxes that the people pay, that people can connect the progress they see with the contribution they are making. They have a sense of ownership of the projects that are going on. We want people to live in Edo Stat, stronger, better and with more institutions. The governor will be there for you but be able to dictate to institutions what to do or not to do, believing that the institutions themselves have the enabling laws that directs your actions”, he noted.
Oshiomhole said “That institutions work elsewhere, even if the governor infringes on the law the Board should have the political will and the legal enablement for them to bring the governor to justice. That is why nations that have made why nations that have made it have done that by not building strong individuals but building and straightening institutions. Individuals can come and go but those institution will be there, so that the governor cannot overrule the finding of the Board nor the governor influence the board to go after an individual who has no reason to be harassed.”
He charged the board to block all leakages, block all loopholes, enhance efficiency and because we are in a democracy, we have to show respect to citizens who are expected to pay tax. Even when we find out that someone has refused to pay tax, we are not at liberty to resort to primitive or harsh military-like approach compelling people to comply with tax laws.
“The laws of Nigeria are clear. When a citizen infringes on the law, the only option is to take them to court. Only a court can pronounce guilty or declare any one innocent. The best you do is to charge and prosecute. I expect having been set up, this is the second phase, we are going ahead to established what will eventually become an autonomous service”, he said.
“This is part of our continuing reforms of the Institutions of government and our hope is that at the end of the day the Internal Revenue Service, just like the ICT will be an autonomous body. Let me assure the civil servants that when we continue to run the country the way it has been and certainly we cannot run Edo State the way it has been.”
Responding on behalf of others, the Executive Chairman of Edo State Internal Revenue Service, Chief Oseni Elamah, thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve the state.
He said the “Under your administration, you helped build institutions that would remain as legacy that and we want to be counted as one of those who gave you the pillars of support in the success you are making in Edo State as well as leadership role you have provided which has enabled us to build a professionally autonomous revenue service in Edo State.”
Members of the board are Chief Oseni Elamah, Chairman of the Board; Barr. Emmanuel Usoh; Barr John Obazee; Prince Felix Isuku, Mrs. Vera Obadan; Mr. Samuel Abada; Mr Micheal Iyekekpolo; Mrs. Grace Aihie.
Others are Mr. Ambrose Idanwekhai,Charles Ebhaleme;Mr. Idris Ehidiamen; Victor Okube, Barr. Anthony Okungbowa and Barr. Kingsley Odabi.
