27th November, 2019
National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Uche Secondus has advised governors elected on the platform of the party to expand their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base to meet the needs and aspirations of the people.
Secondus, who was represented by the PDP National Financial Secretary, Abdullahi Maibasira, gave the advice at a summit on IGR organised by the PDP Governors’ Forum in Abuja.
He advised the governors to think outside the box and explore other sources of revenue instead of depending on federal allocations and also called for prudent management of state resources.
“Make revenue base work. Check where you have competitive and comparative advantage to improve your revenues.
“The myriad of problems facing the country, such as poor infrastructure, poverty and the likes, necessitate the need for more sources of fund.
“The best way to do this is to be prudent in the management of resources. There must be a cut down in waste to be able to prepare for tomorrow,” Secondus said.
He stressed the need to address multiple taxations, ensuring transparency in the tax administration, eliminate waste, promote ease of doing business and good governance in their states.
The Director-General of the PDP Governors Forum, Osaro Onaiwu, giving the fluctuation in the price of oil, said it was imperative for states to diversify their sources of revenue.
“This is not to be mistaken for a call for more taxes, but rather, a call to begin to think out of the box in preparation for when Abuja cannot share as much as it does now.
“Whether money comes from Abuja or not, there will still be a need for the states to build infrastructure, pay workers, provide healthcare, improve education and others,” he said.
Onaiwu added that the summit was packaged by the PDP Governors Forum because as government could no longer depend on crude oil to meet the yearnings of Nigerians.
He advised state governments to continue to prioritise peace as there could not be increased revenue in an atmosphere of violence.
He said that increasing IGR would be difficult when there was no peace.
Also speaking, Deputy Governor of Zamfara Aliyu Gusau said that peace was been restored in the state, which he said had helped to generate revenue for the state.
He said that the government of Gov. Bello Metawalle had increased the revenue base of the state, disclosing that the state IGR had increased from N200 million to N300 million.
He said that there was need for consistency and the adoption of technology in revenue drive and peace in the country.