Revenue generation now top priority for governors – Governors’ Forum

In view of dwindling federal allocations accruing to states, governors have now make revenue generation top priority, the Director General of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF),  Asishana Okaura has said.

” Revenue generation is a priority for governors,  what we are doing to further equip the human capacity of the tax agencies.”

He stated this Tuesday at the training on human resources management for state internal revenue services (North Central region)  in Abuja.

The aim of the training is to provide states internal revenue services with the requisite capacity to effectively manage their workforce and equip them with the knowledge relating to tax audit,investigations and its related processes.

The NGF DG noted that implementing a strong human resources management strategy is key to effective tax administration.

He told the tax managers that for their service to be at the forefront of domestic revenue mobilisation, it needs the right people, the right vision and a good execution plan.

” I want to put on record that over the years,  a number of state internal revenue service have put in place administrative reforms, which have made them very efficient in the revenue generating space in addition to being reference institutions in domestic revenue mobilisation,” he said.

He acknowledged that some state governors

have provided support by instituting some measure of administrative autonomy, which will help the tax managers carry out their functions more effectively.

In his good goodwill message, the Executive Secretary, Joint Tax board (JTB), Oseni Elamah, commended the NGF for its role in  ensuring the attainment of the lofty ideals of enhanced revenue generation in the country, especially as the need to explore alternative sources of funding is inevitably in the  face of dwindling resources.

He noted that the NGF has been reinforcing the role of the JTB, adding that the implementation of the states internally generated revenue( IGR)  reform initiative is just one of such collaborations.

Elamah disclosed that the JTB is currently on the verge of coordinating a nationwide joint tax audit exercise,  a collaboration between the state internal revenue service’s and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

“The peer review learning event is another initiative that is piloted by the NGF in partnership with the JTB.

“The initiative has the primary objective of engaging chairmen of the respective revenue authorities via technical sessions to exchange ideas and map out strategies for increasing IGR at the respective level of governance,” he said.