The revenue collection in Niger previously before now was five to ten years behind most of the states in the country, the new executive chairman of the state revenue service (NGIRS) Mr. Mohammed Madami Etsu has disclosed.
He explained that on assumption in office, he discovered that the revenue base of the state was far behind some state in the country describing the situation as quite unfortunate.
Addressing some select Journalists in his office in Minna at the weekend, Madami Etsu stated that upon his discovery of the unfortunate trend his leadership at the service commenced the automation process and launched the integrated tax administration system for the state revenue services.
According to the new executive chairman, within the next three months it will expect changes to start reflecting, adding that the pilot project in the state will start in Bida, Suleja and Minna while other local government areas in the state will follow.
“Hoping that within the next one year, Niger State’s revenue generation will improve with the first ten states that have the highest number of internally generated revenue”, because we have no business being at the bottom of the ladder, considering the fact that we have the landmass, probably number three or four in population size.”
He pointed out that the services under his leadership will explore all the available pontentiality in changing the narrative, noting that changes doesn’t come so easy.
“We have already started seeing a lot of resistance which is very common to all forms of changes anywhere in the world. But we are determined to carry on and with the backing and the support of the governor Abubakar Sani Bello, I know that we can do it as we have done it elsewhere.
“Other states have taken cue from Lagos and the bigger states and like I said, within the next few months we would start seeing this result”, he assured.
He disclosed that the state has been generating within the region of six to seven hundred million naira monthly in the last one year stating that he was appointed in May 2021 and officially assumed office on the 1st of June 2021 before then, he started making efforts in conjunction with over seeing chairman who is also the Accountant General of the State who he described as supportive.”
“I know that Niger State has the potential to generate N1.5 billion naira and that was my maiden address to management and staff along with members of my team, I told them, I’m targeting at N1.5 billion naira monthly”, he said.
She told Journalists that the tendency in the Federal Revenue Services and in all other States Revenue Services some were untaxed and there are some taxq iterms that were untapped that were not been properly utilised.
He said some states, will give a schedule of 100 iterms, then you come to my state probably you are just collecting 40 of those items.
“Multiple taxation is also another different topic entirely, but we are trying to modify this lost ground.
“The state and local government some times collects the same thing.
“A committee has been set up before I came in to harmonise this this collection process and once everybody agrees that this IGR it is goverment money I don’t think we will have issues with that but the issue of leakages is the major issue like in all services across the country.
“So it is a question of how secure is your system of collection and operation and with determination a lot of these leakages will be reduced since the interface between taxpayers and revenue staff will be minimized” he added.
He then appealed to the people of the state particularly the tax payers to do the right thing saying that without people doing the thing, it will be a problem and warned the staff of the services to conduct themselves and guide against any act that will lead them to invite his wrath.”
The Chairman further warned the staff of the agency not to engage in unprofessional practices, asserting that anyone caught would face the wrath of law.
