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Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has set an ambitious revenue target of N15 billion per month in 2017 against a maximum of N10 billion previously and has inaugurated a board to deliver the target. Yet, the governor has asked the new board to go about it without creating anger in the society.
The governor last week declared himself the chief revenue officer of the state in the face of an existing law making the revenue board autonomous. As if to reverse himself, he quickly summoned the appointees to swear them in the following week.
At the inauguration, Wike charged the board to create a tax-friendly environment in the state while improving internally generated revenue for development purposes.
Governor Wike charged the chairman and members of the Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue Service to ensure that they weathered the storm of political blackmail and other forms of pressure in the discharge of their responsibilities which revolve round the development of the state.
Inaugurating the board at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Wednesday, the governor stated that the renewed revenue drive in the state was because of the dwindling revenue from the Federation Account.
He stated that members of the new board were selected because of their professional competence, warning them against getting themselves involved in unproductive politics.
“It took us time to appoint members of this all-important board because of our search for persons who are professionally competent to achieve improved revenue. Members of the board were chosen strictly on their professional track record,” the governor said.
“We have made commitment to the Rivers’ people and we are determined to continue to deliver on quality projects. We can only do this with sustained revenue flow. Therefore, you must work towards blocking revenue leakages, increase our revenue and provide more funds for development.”
The governor said that if the state was able to generate up to 50 percent of its potentials, it would easily fasten the development process.
He told members of the reconstituted board that it was their opportunity to serve the state and make a positive impact on the lives of the people.
Responding, chairman of the Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue Service, ThankGod Adoage Norteh, said members of the board were committed to delivering on the assignment of improving the revenue of the state.
He assured that the reconstituted board would create a tax-friendly environment and professionalise the revenue service of the state.
These were the objectives of the 2012 law that made the board autonomous and awarded it 5 percent of its annual grossing to enable it operate outside civil service rules and salary structure. This was, however, halted and the pioneer chairman removed as soon as Wike came in while a permanent secretary continued to double as chairman since 2015.
The former board set an objective to create a voluntary compliance tax society through series of education and mobilization, including awards for complying companies. Without any single prosecution (courts were even shut), the former management recorded astronomically rising annual revenue that hovered about N5bn in 2012 to sometimes N10bn in 2015 as more companies found fun in paying taxes.
The new chairman also solicited the cooperation of the leaders and people of the state to enable the board to discharge the responsibility of generating the needed funds for development.
Wike had explained why he wanted to directly oversee tax matters, saying he did not want people to pocket what they collected, something he said was steadily happening even since he dissolved the previous managers. He also said he wanted revenue collection to be without bitterness.
