The Imo State Board of Internal Revenue, which has allegedly become an establishment where all kinds of aberration are encouraged with impunity by those at the helm of affairs, may witness a very embarrassing situation if the protest planned by job applicants who claim to have been duped, eventually holds.
A source in the board, who pleaded anonymity disclosed that, on assumption of office, as chairman of the Board of Internal Revenue, Justice Okoye, whose emergence did not follow due process, after unilaterally laying off some staff and redeploying others to the Ministry of Finance, where they have been redundant, decided to employ new staff to fill the vacancies he unlawfully created without going through the Civil Service Commission as stipulated in the civil service guidelines and procedure.
The source, further said, besides, all the actions, and decisions he took are deemed to be unlawful because the board is not properly constituted as stipulated in the law establishing the board, captioned “Imo State Revenue Administration Law No. 23 of 2019 which says that, the Director or Head of Department may be appointed from each of the underlisted ministries, Finance, Budget and Planning, Lands, Commerce and Industries and Transport, meaning that these ministries are supposed to have knowledgeable representatives as members of the board”.
Our source also revealed that some of the applicants alleged that they paid between one hundred and one hundred and fifty thousand naira for the job, but were neither offered any job nor was the money they paid refunded, despite taking part in the selection interview.
The scandalous development is said to be presently generating tension as some of them who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they have approached some top government officials to help them recover their money but their efforts, have so far been futile.
One of the applicants who simply identified herself as Ijeoma, said she had gone as far as approaching the B.I.R boss, Okoye who she said personally received the money from her.
Some people who commented on the development on condition of anonymity said, “this is a very serious matter that questions the credibility of the Hope Uzodinma administration and it’s orchestrated zero tolerance for corruption and other vices. We are watching with rapt attention to see if the issue will be dispassionately addressed or swept under the carpet”.
