Otori Ozigi, a veteran journalist and PR Consultant, writes on the success story of tax administration under GYB years.
The importance of revenue in the life of any state cannot be overemphasized.
Revenue is needed for the execution of capital projects and other overhead recurrent expenditures.
The story of tax administration in Kogi State is a mixed bag of fortunes under previous administrations and that of the Executive Governor of Kogi State,His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello.
Before his assumption of office in 2016, the IGR performance of the state was nothing to write home about.
It was an abysmal and paltry performance hovering around N250millon and N300m monthly,as recorded by the then Board of Internal Revenue,BIR.
Faced with this grim situation, the government of Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello decided to take decisive steps to turn around the worrisome situation in the best interest of the state, that is yearning for more revenue to meet the ever growing financial commitment of the state.
One of the steps taken by the outgoing governor was to initiate and accent to a bill that will give financial and administrative autonomy to the newly created Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, KGIRS.
This development turned out to be the turning point in IGR performance in the state.
Since it came into existence, good things have been happening in KGIRS.
Today, the IGR performance of the state has grown appreciably in the neighborhood of N1.5bn and N2bn monthly to the satisfaction of all stakeholders in tax administration.
Little wonder therefore, that the state government has set it’s eyes on more IGR performance in the years ahead.It was in this spirit that the State government has set a new target for the service this year, by raising the bar to the neighborhood of N50b IGR performance in 2024.
Presently, the service has surpassed the N23b it posted last year, which was a significant increase from the N18b figure it generated in 2022.
Viewed against this background therefore, it is heartwarming that KGIRS is presently leveraging on technology and human capital development to achieve the new target in tax administration in the state.
Industry watchers says the new target is realistic and doable.
The service has been repositioned by the present Executive Chairman, Alhaji Sule Salihu Enehe, for optimal performance and tax payers compliance.
The staff have been trained and retrained for higher productivity, while their welfare has been enhanced to engender self satisfaction while at work so that they can put in their best.
From al indication, KGIRS is poised for improved and sterling performance in the years ahead.
Otori Ozigi, is a veteran journalist and PR Consultant.