Kwara State Government is to create an agency to drive improved Internally Generated Revenue in the face of the consistent slide in the state and local government shares from the federation account.
The State Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed who announced this when members of the State House of Assembly and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) paid him congratulatory visits on his re-election said a bill would be submitted to the state legislature for the establishment of the agency.
According the Governor, “a new law that will set up a new internally generated revenue platform is been put in place. That new law will birth an institution that will be charged with the responsibility, independent of any ministry, to drive the state revenue to set targets”.
He advised the local governments to key into the initiative as a way of boosting their internally generated revenue to meet their developmental challenges and other obligations.
The governor told the local council chairmen that it was only when their revenues increased that they can approach either the money market or the capital market for support through various funding windows.
Dr Ahmed added that given the gloomy economic reality, the next four years would be very tough and that success would be hinged on resourcefulness rather than availability of resources.
Speaking earlier, the Deputy Speaker of the Legislature and Leader of the team, Hon. Gana Issa said Governor Ahmed was re-elected due to his administration’s successes and resourcefulness in the face of dwindling funds.
Similarly, the Chairman of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Alhaji Abdullateef Okandeji noted that the Abdulfatah Ahmed has succeeded in the last four years in sustaining peace and development in the State.