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Comrade Philip Shaibu
The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has declared that any Head of Local Government Administration (HOLGA) or council personnel involved in shady deals that result in a decline in internally generated revenue (IGR) will be probed, arrested, and dismissed. He made the declaration during a closed-door meeting with HOLGAs and local government liaison officers at the Government House, Benin City.
Shaibu stated that only incompetence, abuse of office, lack of accountability, and truancy could result in the 18 local government councils generating a paltry sum of N3 million monthly as IGR. He added that the IGR profile of Egor local government alone was N1 million while the remaining councils generated N2 million, which he described as criminal and unacceptable to the government.
The Deputy Governor further stated that it was impossible for motorcycles and tricycles to generate more revenue than cars and buses combined. As a result, he threatened to invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the activities of the councils and to sack, arrest, and prosecute anyone found culpable of mismanagement.
The Deputy Governor directed HOLGAs and liaison officers to constitute a credible revenue task force across the 18 LGAs to ensure proper revenue collection for accountability purposes immediately. He also stated that leaders of the three recognized transport unions, namely the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and ANNEWATT, were present during the meeting.
The Edo State government is determined to ensure that the 18 local government councils generate more revenue to promote development in the state. HOLGAs and council personnel have been warned against shady deals that could lead to a decline in IGR, and a revenue task force has been constituted to ensure proper revenue collection.
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