Hon. Oseni Elamah, the boss of the Edo State Internal Revenue Board, has given kudos to the organizers of the annual Okpekpe Marathon Race for their foresight. However, he advocated that the indigenous participants in the event should be encouraged.
“Yes, I was an active participant in the last edition of the Okpekpe International Marathon Race but I must confess that I was not encouraged by the fact that there was no incentive for some categories of participants.
“No trophy was awarded to my category of participation. I actually participated because of my love for fitness. I have a gym and I work out regularly in the stadium. So, I am no stranger to keeping fit.
Most importantly my participation has to do with my desire to be healthy.
“Another thing is that my participation in the race was beneficial in making me appreciate the level of perfection by the engineers who constructed the road (Okpekpe) whose source of funds was partly generated through internally generated revenue.
“With the result of the work done on the road, I am impressed that tax payers have value for their money,” he stated.
He stressed that nothing is coming directly to the government coffers from the hosting of the competition.
“Major revenue to the government coffers from the competition is not quantifiable but the multiplier effect is appreciable. People who are into hospitality business for instance declare profit from which they pay tax to get purse at the end of the competition.”