Otti  Sacks Revenue Contractors, Agents

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

Abia  State governor, Mr. Alex Otti has taken further measures to block leakages of the internally generated revenue(IGR) of the state by sacking all revenue contractors/agents engaged by the immediate past administration.

He also suspended payments to  government through unauthorised channels and directed that all payments should be made through designated bank branches.

The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Kazie Uko announced the anti-revenue leakage measures in a statement  yesterday, saying that they were part of the measures to sanitise revenue enforcement and collection.

He explained the termination of revenue collection agents would “sanitise all  enforcement activities around the transport sector and markets in the state.”

The governor’s spokesman further stated that the suspension of payments to unauthorised channels was aimed at ensuring “proper accountability and  reporting” in the management of Abia’s IGR.

“The Governor of Abia State, His Excellency Dr. Alex Otti, by this notice has approved the  termination of all appointments for any type of Revenue Enforcement in the State,” he said, adding, that the directive “takes immediate effect.”

The affected revenue agents and contractors were directed “to return all government property in their possession to the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Internally Generated Revenue and Digital Transformation.”

On revenue payments to government, Uko said that apart from designated bank branches “additional approved online and offline channels will be communicated by  the governor’s Special Adviser on IGR.