It’s Illegal to block roads to collect revenue – Kogi Revenue Boss
By Boluwaji Obahopo, Lokoja
Executive Chairman, Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS) Salihu Enehe has blamed the Local Government chairmen for the illegal revenue collection on the highways in Kogi state.
This is just as he called for good governance, institutionalisation of job creation and provision of an enabling environment to mitigate poverty, so as to avert the impending youth implosion against the people.
The Chairman disclosed at the Kogi state Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Correspondents Chapel Stewardship Forum of the Correspondent Chapel, Kogi State Council of NUJ held in Lokoja.
He alleged that some LG chairmen and Ministry and Department officials aid some youths to block highways to collect revenues, ranging from forestry, produce and haulage fees, contrary to the provision of extant law guiding the establishment of the Revenue service in the state.
”The activities of these illegal revenue officials have posed serious threats to the road users, which has sparked condemnations across the country. My office is being inundated ona daily basis with complaints of their activities on the highways, causing both security and financial losses to the road users.
”We instituted task force to arrest and prosecute culprits, but were surprised to discover that some LG chairmen and some Ministries, Agencies and Departments have a hand in their operations.
”Some of these chairmen, in the name of finding jobs for the ‘boys’ would permit them to print their receipts to collect revenues on forestry, Farm produce and Haulage fees on motorists and heavy duty ‘plying highways across the state.
He said, even when he intimated the Governor, Ahmed Ododo, who called an emergency meeting where he gave a stern warning against the menace, some LG chairmen have not yielded to implementing the state government’s directive.
Enehe said, his office in collaboration with Security Agencies, has made arrests and prosecuted the offenders, which has relatively restored sanity to the highways.
He, however, disclosed that some of the youths would come back to the roads at odd times to ply their illegal trade.
He explained that, although, the collection of fees on forestry, produce and Haulage are items in the tax law, it was illegal to block highways in the name of collecting revenue.
He stressed that the best way to collect such revenues is for their officials to be stationed at the point of production and loading for seamless collection without running foul of the law.
He commended the members of the Correspondents Chapel to have been alive to their constitutional responsibility in holding government accountable and to ensure good governance at all times.
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