By Akinwale Kasali
The Nigerian Guild of Investigative Journalists, NGIJ, has petitioned anti-graft Agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to beam its searchlight on alleged malfeasance and manipulation associated with the collection of the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR in the North Central State of Nasarawa and other states of the Federation who have been indicted.
The Guild, in a petition addressed to the Acting Chairman of the anti-graft body, Ibrahim Magu, stated that despite the numerous sources of revenue available to the various tiers of government as specified in the1999 Constitution of Nigeria, over 80% of the annual revenue of the three tiers of government still comes from oil earnings because the nation is a mono economy.
The decline in the price of oil in recent years, most especially this period that the world is battling to find a lasting solution to the deadly Pandemic, Covid-19 observed the Guild, has led to a decrease in the funds available for distribution to the states.
This, the group says has triggered the need for state governments to generate adequate revenue from internal sources.
Investigations by the NGIJ revealed that for the 12 banks that had swarmed around Nasarawa revenue collection pie since 1999, the coming of former governor Tanko Al-Makura in 2015 changed the tide.
It was, however, gathered that on the 29th December, 2016, a Forensic Accounting Consultancy firm based in Lagos was engaged by the Nasarawa State Board of Internal Revenue to assist in improving the IGR base of excess bank charges, high network individuals, withholding tax on dividends and interest and deposits against banks operating in the State from 29/05/1999 and for an initial period of four years based on the firm’s proposal.
The group stressed that after the completion of the assignment, the deducted but unremitted 10% Withholding Tax on Credit Interest monies by banks operating in Nasarawa State, came to a total final and conclusive liability against 12 banks stood at N3, 632,677,464.41 (Three Billion, Six Hundred and Thirty two Million, Six Hundred and seventy seven Thousand, Four Hundred and Sixty four naira, Forty one Kobo).
Part of the petition reads: “Shortly after completion of work, the Nasarawa State Government insisted that the firm should instead, deal with its own official facilitators and middlemen who allegedly entered a new deal with some of the banks to shortchange the whole exercise,”
Furthermore, NGIJ investigation revealed that some of the banks which final liability was as high as N151 Million naira were billed N8 Million.
Another with an initial bill of N443 Million was given a new bill of N7 Million and others like that.
“This malfeasance, we gathered, is being replicated in States like Niger, Ekiti and many of the States of the Federation; and it is the belief of the NGIJ that this act is a grand and deep conspiracy against the good people of Nigeria.
“We also believe this is the reason why there is under development in so many states as money that should have been used to develop these states are being diverted by some people,” the group noted.
According to the NGIJ, “our call for investigation is a patriotic duty by the NIGJ to save the nation from this steeping rot that can collapse the present efforts of government to reshape the nation against the looming economic challenge of Covid 19.”
