By joshua 
1.0 The second Kogi State Economic Council (KOSEC) Meeting was held on Tuesday, 1st February, 2022. The meeting was presided over by the Chairman, Hon. Asiwaju Asiru Idris, and the Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning.
2.0 After an exhaustive deliberation, the Council resolved that every necessary step must be taken to ensure that all revenues due to the State and Local Governments were collected while deliberate effort should be made to block all leakages.
3.0 All grey areas as it relates to tax collection and remittance and the challenges therein should be adequately and sufficiently addressed.
4.0 Consequently, the following Communiqué was issued at the end of the meeting:
i. Members unanimously agreed that harmonization of Tax Laws should be carried out.
ii. All relevant Laws connected therein should be critically looked into with a view to identifying grey areas for harmonization.
iii. That a Technical Committee should be set up to look into the Harmonization without further delay.
iv. That membership of the Technical Committee should include:
• Two representatives from Kogi State Internal Revenue Service i.e. Director, Legal and Director, Road Tax and other Revenues
• Chairmen of Ankpa, Okehi and Kabbabunu LGAs
• Representatives from the relevant MDAs are detailed below;
a. Representative of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs
b. PS (Budget), Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning
c. Director of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce
d. Director of Produce, and Director of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture
e. Director, Geological Services, Ministry of Solid Minerals
f. Representative from Ministry of Justice
v. The Chairman of Okehi LGA is to serve as the Chairman of the Committee while the Director, Legal from KGIRS is the Secretary of the Committee.
vi. Barrister Abbas Zakari is to serve as the Chief Lawyer of the Committee.
vii. The Committee was given two weeks to submit its report.
5.0 One LGA One Product Initiatives was introduced. The Council
resolved that each Local Government Council should come up with a product it has comparative advantage in, to enable them take advantage of mechanized farming and value chain development of each product. A committee of 5 Chaired by Bar Deedat Ozigi Salami, the Hon Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftancy Affairs was formed. The committee is to come up with the framework for implementation.
Thanks.
Mr Olajide Samuel
Permanent Secretary, Budget and Economic Planning