Mohammed Shosanya
The Edo State Government has lamented the dwindling revenue being generated by the local government councils in the state
The Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon.Comrade Philip Shaibu, who spoke on Tuesday at the Government House, Benin City, during a close-door meeting with heads of local government areas and local government liaison officers,said that the internally generated revenue profile of Egor Local Government alone was one million naira, while the remaining 17 Local Government Councils generated two million naira.
Describing the development as criminal and unacceptable,Shaibu, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, may be invited by Edo State Government to look into affairs of the councils.
He reasoned that only incompetence, abuse of office, lack of accountability and truancy, among others, can result in the 18 Local government councils generating a paltry sum of three million naira monthly as internally generated revenue.
“It is also impossible for motorcycles and tricycles to generate more revenue than cars and buses put together.We will invite EFCC to investigate your activities for the period under review and whoever that is culpable of any mismanagement be sacked, arrested and be made to face prosecution in a competent court of jurisdiction”, Shaibu added.
He directed heads of local government areas and liaison officers to immediately constitute a credible revenue task force across the 18 LGAs to ensure proper collection of revenue for the purpose of accountability forthwith.
He threatened to probe, arrest and dismiss any head of local government administration, involved in shady deals, resulting in the declining internally generated revenue, IGR.