Rt.Hon.Emeka Ihedioha
The Co-ordinator of the Rebuild Imo Media under the shortlived PDP Ihedioha led government, Dr Amanze Obi, has declared as fake a recent media report and claims attributed to the State Commissioner for Information, Hon Declan Emelumba, that “Hope Uzodinma administration orchestrated by the unprecdented increase of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from N620 million to N1.2 billion in only two months.
Dr Obi contested that the claim by the Commissioner was not in proper light as it tends to portray the Ihedioha administration in bad light and in an attempt to put the records straight issued a release on Thursday, April 3, 2020.
According to the former Co-ordinator, “the Imo State Commissioner of Information, Hon. Declan Emelumba had declared that the Hope Uzodinma administration, has witnessed increase from the N620m IGR, it claimed that the administration met when it came into office, to N1.2 billion Naira within two months in office. These claims are false.
One would have ignored such fallacy on the grounds that the present administration seems to be earning notoriety in twisting facts and figures, in a bid to cast in bad light, the out-gone administration of Hon Emeka Ihedioha.
The truth of the matter is that the State Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) as at 31st December, 2019 stood at N1,184,745,471.87 gross, made up of N988,314,351 from Treasury Singe Account, TSA, N143,411,750.00 from IMSU and N53,019, 370 from Motor Licensing Administration.
The gross revenue for the month was subject to 20% statutory deductions to develop Institutional and Manpower Capacity for IIRS and for the provision of the Technology for Integrated Tax Management System (e-Central Billing System), which was contracted by the State government, to exploit the tax potentials and expand the Tax Net.
Other possible deductions are cost of collection of revenues by specialized MDAs that engage expertise of professionals beyond their regular staff.
Perhaps the N620M referred to by Emelumba, may have been the half January IGR of the state as at 14th January, 2020, when the new government came into office and not as at December 2019 IGR of the state.
It is therefore important, that the present administration puts a halt to dishing out half truths, and rather stick to the norms of good governance by being truthful with the state of finances.
The Ihedioha administration, in a bid to meet up with the onerous task of rebuilding the State, undertook proactive measures to boost the IGR of the State which yielded salutary result.
Within its seven months in office, such measures translated to rapid increase in the IGR of Imo State totaling N6, 406, 195, 252.83 and positively aroused interest and consciousness of tax-paying individuals and business units in the state of the Services of IIRS.
A breakdown shows:
July 19- 369, 622,398,64
Aug 19- 534,840, 342.59
Sep 19- 786, 785, 047.12
Oct 19- 877, 287, 268. 91
Nov 19- 926, 319,056. 07
Dec 19-1,184,747,321.93
Jan 20- 951, 648,592.10
MDAs Mop – 774,000,000.
TOTAL N6, 406, 195,252.83
The breakdown is aimed at correctly informing the good people of Imo State on the state of IGR, which was on record very low and unverifiable from any unified account platform before the Ihedioha administration came into office”,the release stated.
