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Oyo state internally generated revenue for October has jacked up to about N2.7biillion, the Chairman, Oyo State Internal Revenue Service (OYIRS), Aremo John Adeleke revealed on Monday.
From the average of about N1.2billion monthly inherited from the immediate past administration, Adeleke said the sudden rise is as a result of the positive and relentless efforts of the Governor Seyi Makinde led administration to block all leakages and ensure a continuous rise of the IGR to help the state depend less on federal allocation to runs its affairs.
Aremo Adeleke who spoke during a visit of a group under the aegis of “Friends of Seyi Makinde” at the state Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism emphasises that the government is also deploying creative means to expand the state tax net to capture both the formal and informal sector with additional burdens on the people.
He said “Many people in the state are voluntarily contributing revenue and paying their taxes to the state coffers owing to their trust in the Governor Seyi Makinde led governance.
“We are bringing about a revolution in revenue generation activities of Oyo state. Oyo state today has moved beyond the miasma of revenue of between N1.2 billion and N1.3 billion per month in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
“I am happy to inform you that last month, our IGR was N2.7 billion and we intend to keep on in this trajectory. We are going to follow the trajectory of steady growth until within our first year; we are able to double Oyo state revenue from where we met it. That is our goal.
“We can see a groundswell of support for the current administration in the sense that a lot of people, in terms of business premises contribution or environmental contribution or signage are prepared to contribute their quota.
“We know people that have voluntarily invited the government to their various areas, communities saying they can do a bit more for the government.
“We will be cashing on the enormous goodwill represented by the governance style of Engineer Seyi Makinde to explore fully the potential of our informal sector and ensure that we cast the net wide so that all that should be in it are in it.”
Earlier in his earlier remarks, the Chairman/Coordinator, “Friends of Seyi Makinde”, Mr Funsho Abiri said that Makinde’s steps over the past five months pointed to a government that was committed to the delivery of good governance to the greatest number of people.
According to Abiri, the Makinde government had brought about a paradigm shift going by his declaration of free education, regular payment of salary and pensions, appointments based on merit, distribution of books to public schools, release of grants to schools, desire to transform the farm settlements into farm estates, purchase of 100 security vehicles and investment in the health sector.
In living up being friends of Makinde, Abiri said the group was working towards facilitating the generation of Hydropower from Asejire and Eleyele dams as well as establishing a new medical centre of excellence in Ibadan to engender healthcare tourism.
While noting that many investors are eyeing Oyo state from inside and outside the country, the group called on all citizens to keep supporting Makinde, adding “Governor Seyi Makinde is just like Pa Obafemi Awolowo, trying to provide as selfless leadership. He is always ready to make personal sacrifice as well. He is a courageous leader, having the interest of the people at heart at all time.”
