By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The Executive Chairman of Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS), Mallam Salihu Enehe, acknowledged the significant improvement in revenue generation in Kogi State since he assumed office. He made this disclosure on Tuesday during the 2024 stakeholders’ interactive session organized by the revenue body at Edge Drive Hotel in Lokoja.
Enehe stated that KGIRS has increased the state’s annual revenue generation from N6.5 billion in 2015 to N23.5 billion. He attributed this improvement to the commitment and reforms introduced into tax collection. The revenue has grown significantly, exceeding the N6.5 billion benchmark set in 2015.
The Chairman highlighted that the state government, over the past eight years, has utilized taxpayers’ money to provide infrastructure, quality education, healthcare, and support for agriculture, among other sectors.
Enehe also revealed that no fewer than 41 illegal tax collectors, arrested across the state, are currently standing trial for various unauthorized tax activities.
In his presentation on “Continuous Stakeholders’ Engagement For Effective Tax Administration,” Dr. Olubunmi Ajayi, the Director in charge of MDAs and Other Revenues, urged taxpayers not to pay cash to revenue officials. He emphasized that this instruction aims to eradicate all forms of illegality within the system, adding that the service has simplified the tax payment process through banks, POS, and other means.
“Our taxpayers remain our valued assets in generating the necessary funds for the social and economic development of the State, as they perform their civic responsibility in paying their tax obligations,” Dr. Ajayi stated. He noted that the objective of the stakeholders’ interactive session is to build public trust between taxpayers and the government.
The 2024 stakeholders’ interactive session was attended by business professionals, property owners, Civil Society Organizations, school proprietors, government functionaries, religious and community leaders, and petty traders
