Era of Depending on Federal Allocations is  Over, Says Ahmed

By Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has disclosed that the era of depending on federal revenue allocations for developmental projects was over in the nation’s art of governance.

 He therefore advocated that all hands must be on deck to ensure proper collection of taxes and revenues through the various ministries, departments and agencies of government so as to bring necessary socio economic development to the people of the state. 

Speaking in Ilorin on Friday during a breakfast meeting with Head of ministries, departments,  agencies and parastatals of government in the state, Ahmed said that, the dwindling federal revenue allocations to the 36 states of the federation had opened up the eyes of states on the need to look inward for revenue generations in the country.

The breakfast meeting was  organised by the board of state revenue internal service to intimate the members of the public of the performance drive of each state’s departments, ministries, agencies and parastatals in the state.

 He said that, ” the ministries and departments must be honesty and transparent in the collection of taxes for the overall benefit of the state”.

 He said that, the development would go a long way of assisting the government to have enough revenue to develop the state as  era of waiting for federal revenue allocations every month  to plan for the provision of programmes is no more feasible in the face of governance.

The governor who reiterated the commitment of his administration to ensure even development to all the 16 councils in the state said that heads of departments, agencies and parastatals must buckle  up in the efforts of generating revenue for the overall growth of the state.

Ahmed stressed that they should ensure that they blocked all the leakages and proper collections of taxes and revenue for the state.

‎He however advised all the taxable adults across the state to pay their taxes as and when due so as to bring necessary socio economic development to the doorsteps of the rural populace.

Earlier, the chairman, Kwara State Revenue Internal Service(KWRIS) Dr. Murtala Awodun enumerated the giant stride of the revenue agency since it took over the collection of revenues and taxes in the state.

He said that, the revenue agency had increased the revenue collection from N7.1billion as at 20015 to N17.5billion.

The increment in revenue collection according to Awodun had assisted the state in meeting its needs in the provision of socio economic programmes to the state especially in the offsetting of salary of workers in the state.

He said that the laudable achievement was due to the support and cooperation of the heads of departments, agencies and parastatals among others extended to the revenue agency in the state.

He therefore solicited more support of the people of the state in the revenue collections in order to bring more dividends of democracy to the doorsteps of the populace.