By joshua Allegations of “Monumental Fraud” in KGIRS Unfounded, Says Director of Income Tax
By Abu Micheal
The Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, KGIRS, has described recent social media reports alleging monumental fraud under the leadership of Executive Chairman, Sule Enehi as spurious, malicious and unsubstantiated.
Addressing a press conference in Lokoja, Dr. Emmanuel Yusuf, Director of Income Tax, who represented the Chairman, said the allegations were the work of faceless individuals out to smear the good works of the Service, the State Government and Kogi State in general. He stated that KGIRS operates accounts for internally generated revenue in line with the Kogi State Harmonisation Law and existing Government Service policies, and that the Service does not maintain any accounts not controlled by the State Government. According to him, the Service writes to the Ministry of Finance for account opening, said neither the Executive Chairman nor the Management of KGIRS is a signatory to any revenue account as the mandate of the Service is limited to revenue generation for the State.
Dr. Yusuf dismissed claims in the publication regarding discretionary staff deployment and promotion, insisting that such processes are guided by policy and not at the discretion of the Chairman. He explained that deployment of staff from time to time is part of established policy with cost of transfer, and that all disciplinary measures follow rules and procedures with several layers of processes headed by the Director of Legal Services who makes recommendations to the Executive Chairman. He noted that the Service has zero tolerance for indiscipline, and some persons found wanting were recently disciplined. He added that the Service will not contain internal nor external collaborators trying to usurp its activities.
He said the publication failed to meet the ethics of the journalism profession and challenged those behind it to mention the specific accounts and their locations if they have evidence of fraud. He described the Chairman as a man of integrity, honest and open in his dealings, who has operated within his income, urged those alleging acquisition of estates and property to come forward with proof. He said persons behind the publication should be weary of cyber crime offense, should avail the public with their information or face litigation. The Service, he added, will go after those behind the faceless write-up for attempting to pull down the institution.
On Staff welfare and capacity building, Dr. Yusuf said KGIRS continues to invest in training, including recent sessions on tax laws, customary relations and mindset reorientation. He noted that staff were recently promoted after training, and that the Service’s workforce of about ten years is experiencing wear and tear, with assets such as computers and chairs being replaced as the need arises. He said the Chairman remains concerned about staff welfare, which he described as core to the administration.
Highlighting revenue performance, Dr. Yusuf said the Service generated less than ₦750 million monthly before Enehi assumed office as Acting Chairman. He stated that under his leadership, KGIRS has consistently surpassed ₦3 billion monthly, with current collections hitting ₦3.5 billion. He stressed that the Service under Sule Enehi will not be distracted from its mandate of advancing the revenue trajectory of Kogi State.