Prince Emma Onunaku
The Imo State Internal Revenue Service (IIRS) has said that the agency in February 2020 made N1.1Billion as its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the state.
Speaking exclusively with our reporter in his office on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, the Chairman and Chief Executive of the agency, Prince Emma Onunaku, disclosed that before now, the board recorded far less than what they have generated in the month of February 2020, adding that, “it was between N600 million to N700 million monthly. We are committed to boosting the Imo State Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and we thank Governor Hope Uzodinma for the support and enabling environment to achieve this feet”.
According to him, the N1.1 Billion realized is the highest the State has ever received in ten (10) years. He further disclosed that the increase in the State’s IGR is possible because of the measures recently taken by him to block all the leakages in the system which made it impossible for their different agents scattered all over the state to account for monies realized through revenue drive.
Onunaku assured Imo people that this month of March, IIRS will make more money for the state, saying that so many adjustments and restructuring have been put in place to make the Board better positioned to increase tremendously, the IGR of the State
He also said that in no distant time, the IGR of the state will hit the targeted N1.5 billion as more efforts are being made to reorganize the state’s establishment for efficiency. When asked to point out areas of his reforms, he mentioned among others; the automation of vehicle licensing and posting of professionals of the board to the Local government areas in Imo State to strengthen its capacity for accounting and transparency.
He revealed that before now, the agency had IIRS agents or professionals in every local government but previous administration didn’t sustain the system but, “we have returned it to what it used to be. Today, one can renew his vehicle license at the local government areas instead of coming all the way to Owerri, thereby congesting the headquarters of the agency and subscribing to touting who end up diverting the revenues”.
The financial expert and technocrat hinted on the benefit of decentralizing the agency among which is convenience of the taxpayers and as well increase the revenue base of the state. He also averred that the informal sector is an area they are trying to reform and efforts have been made in that regard.
