By Ogochukwu Isioma
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has directed that all revenue collection functions of the government will now come under the direct supervision of the Governor’s Office.
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, the governor said a review of the state’s revenue-to-date showed that the state government’s earnings fell under the N30bn target.
According to Osagie, “At the end of the month of June, 2023, the Governor’s Office reviewed the year-to-date revenue status of the government, showing that earnings fell under the N30bn target.
“On account of that, the governor has queried all Permanent Secretaries and Heads of revenue generating agencies within government, including the Local Government Areas (LGAs), who have not met their mid-year target.
“He has ordered that they are now to come under the direct supervision of the Governor’s Office to ensure the attainment of the N62b target at the end of the year.”
The Edo State government had last month threatened to probe, arrest and dismiss any head of local government administration (HOLGA) or council personnel involved in shady deals, resulting in the declining internally generated revenue (IGR).
Deputy Governor, Rt Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu, at a meeting with the HOLGAs and local government liaison officers, described as criminal, the generation of paltry sum of N3 million revenue in one month by administrators of the 18 local governments in the state.
The Deputy Governor revealed that while Egor local government generated the sum of N1 million, the other 17 local councils jointly turned in N2 million, a situation he described as unacceptable to the government.
“Only incompetence, abuse of office, lack of accountability and truancy, among others, can result in the 18 local government councils generating a paltry sum of N3 million monthly as internally generated revenue”, he said.
“We will invite EFCC to investigate your activities for the period under review and whoever that is culpable of any mismanagement be sacked, arrested and be made to face prosecution in a competent court of jurisdiction,” Shaibu added.
