Recession: More Hard Times for States in 2017, says Kwara Revenue Boss

By Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Kwara State chairman, Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS), Dr. Murtala Awodun, on Tuesday hinted that the 36 states of the federation may witness more hard times in view of the unabated bombing of oil installations by the Niger-Delta militants.

He said that such ugly development may lead to a decline in the prices of crude oil on the world market .

Speaking in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, during the 16th edition of the “Media Parliament” organised by the State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Awodun also said, “Such a situation would make it more difficult for many states that depend heavily on funds from the federation account to recover from recession”.

He spoke on ‘‘Sustainability of Public Revenue and Challenges of Economic Recovery’’.

Represented by the Director, Administration and Corporate Affairs of the agency, Mr. Lekan Rotimi, Awodun said that states must buckle up in their revenue generation drive and depend less on funds from Abuja which were no longer forthcoming.