Nigerian Politics: Needless Controversy Over Osun IGR (Internally Generated Revenue)
30 April 2018
By Abiodun KOMOLAFE
Lies, when told too often, unchallenged, have the capacity to be mistaken for
the truth. As an indigene of the State of Osun, a key stakeholder in the Osun
project; and as a living witness to Rauf Aregbesola's judicious use of the
taxpayers' money for the development of the state, surprise was a better word
to describe the recently-released Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) status of
Osun for 2017 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
In the report, NBS stated that internally generated revenues for Osun declined
from N8,884,756,040.35 in 2016 to N6,486,524,226.45 in 2017, representing a
-26.99% drop. But, in what could be considered a swift reaction, the Executive
Chairman, Federal Inland Revenues Service (FIRS) and Chairman, Joint Tax Board
(JTB), Babatunde Fowler, disclosed that the Aregbesola-led administration
raised the state's IGR by over-30% in 2017. Contrary to the Bureau's
misleading position, facts at the disposal of yours sincerely did reveal that
the state's actual full year IGR for 2017 was N11.9 billion. Of course, it
could have been much more, but for the Federal Ministries, Departments and
Agencies' tax audit outstanding, totaling N4 billion, to the state.
Established by Section 86 (1) of the Personal Income Tax Act cap. P8 LFN 2004,
findings also revealed that JTB is the body statutorily mandated to contribute
"to the advancement of the tax administration in Nigeria", especially "in the
area of harmonization of Personal Income Tax administration throughout
Nigeria." Well, one can only hope that appropriate quarters would use the
circumstances in Osun to resolve needless conflicts in job descriptions
between NBS and JTB.
As Aregbesola remarked while declaring open the Board's 140th Quarterly
Meeting in Osogbo, tax payment is about the most important component of any
civilized and forward-looking society; because, "without taxes, there's no
government." Essentially therefore, sustaining any government involves active
participation of the people; and the way to it is taxation! Well, though Osun
is at the moment not there in terms of IGR and tax remittances, it bears
repeating that the present administration has done well in growing the state's
IGR base from a miserable N300 million monthly average in 2010 to where it
currently stands. It is therefore believed that, if the taxable population is
mobilized to pay its dues "adequately and sufficiently", the state will no
doubt be better for it.
Let's come back to the Bureau and its inaccurate information! When Benjamin
Disraeli wittily painted "lies, damned lies and statistics" as three kinds of
lies troubling our world, he probably might have had our NBS in mind. This is
because inaccurate information distorts facts and misleads the people. It
exaggerates accomplishments and stigmatizes performance in subsequent tasks.
It impinges on the evaluation of the government in power and habitually sets
the led against their leaders.
Though endowed with human and natural resources, Osun had never come close to
fulfilling its potentials until Aregbesola assumed office as governor. A
classical example of impressive performance and impactful governance in times
of an unstable economic situation, it is interesting to note that, right from
his days in the Bola Tinubu-led administration in Lagos State, Aregbesola has
been a passionate advocate of efficient taxation in Nigeria. That he has
conspicuously and consistently deployed his unwavering resilience,
unmistakable commitment, innovative ideology, administrative ingenuity,
political prowess and determined efforts towards making Osun a good example to
showcase to the world that taxpayers' money can be used to develop a society
for good did not come as a surprise.
Information feeds democracy! Beyond NBS inaccuracy and cynics' duplicity, one
can easily see that Osun taxpayers' money is working! For instance, no fewer
than 13,000 persons have accessed the Free AMBULANCE services and no fewer
than 250,000 students in 1,382 public primary schools across the state have
been covered in its one-free-meal-per-day policy since its inception. So far,
so impressive: primary and secondary healthcare services at public facilities,
including anti-retroviral medication, are being rendered free-of-charge. This
is in addition to free laboratory services and surgery for pregnant women,
children under the age of 5, and elderly persons in 876 Primary Healthcare
facilities and 51 Secondary Health facilities across the 67 Local Government
Areas, Local Council Development Areas, Area Councils and Area Offices in the
state.
Between 2010 and 2017, more than 50,000 qualified youth have been employed and
empowered under the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) and no fewer than
100,000 smallholder farmers have so far benefitted from the state's 'Agric
Land Bank' programme. Between 2011 and 2015, more than 7,000 farmers from 500
cooperative societies have benefited from the state's low interest loans under
the Quick Intervention Programme (QUIP). Besides, Osun Rehabilitation
Programme (O'REHAB) has succeeded in treating no fewer than 100 persons with
mental disabilities, particularly those who had been living on the streets
while 1,602 elderly persons of age 65 and above, who met poverty criteria,
have been receiving N10,000,00 monthly for their upkeep, in addition to
medical care, under the 'Agba Osun' scheme.
While Aregbesola's unprecedented revolution in infrastructure development and
massive road construction are visible to the naked eye, I had probably
underestimated the differences between the education system in Osun and
elsewhere in the country until Abiola, my 8-year old boy, had a taste of its
carefully-planned academic programme. At a stage, I was close to confronting
his headmaster when I learnt of the 'hurdles' my little boy would have to
cross on his way to qualifying for the Primary School Leaving Certificate
Examination.
With these tip-of-the-iceberg achievements, one would have expected a
data-dependent organization and statistical information provider of NBS status
to be without blemish in the discharge of its responsibilities to the public.
However, obviously imprecise information like the one on hand cannot but
compel one to ask if Osun is a state against itself in terms of timely release
of facts and figures to relevant agencies for processing. Or is it a case of
some prodigals and prostitutes, somewhere, mightily profiting from making dear
state a systematic target of slippery, sloppy rumours and conspiracy theories?
*KOMOLAFE writes in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State, Nigeria (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)
abiodun KOMOLAFE,
O20, Okenisa Street,
PO Box 153,
Ijebu-Jesa, State of Osun.
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