News
RSG, Corporate Bodies Parley As VAT Law Takes Effect – Dismisses Media Reports On Revenue Distribution

The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has said that with the infraction of the constitutional provision on collection of Valued Added Tax (VAT) addressed, his administration has commenced full implementation of the State’s VAT Law without hesitation.
The governor, at an interactive session with representatives of corporate organisations at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Port Harcourt, last Wednesday, said it was necessary to clarify the position of the law to the business community in the state.
Such understanding, he said, would enable them not to fall prey to the antics that could be deployed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) officials, who think they could use force to collect what does not belong to them.
Wike explained that FIRS had in the past collected VAT in the state with impunity, knowing it was unconstitutional for them to do so.
According to him, his administration challenged their impunity in court and the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, in its declarative ruling had stated the constitution is right in vesting powers to collect VAT in the state government within its jurisdiction.
“When we challenged the Federal Government through the Office of the Attorney-General and FIRS in court, do you know what they did? They wrote this letter dated 1st of July, 2021. Remember, it was in 2020 that we filed this action against them. But see how corrupt this country is.
“Corruption is not only about kickbacks, it is also about doing something illegally. We were in court in 2020.Then on July 1st 2021, the chairman of FIRS wrote to the National Assembly through the office of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“He was asking them to amend the constitution and insert VAT under item 58 of the exclusive legislative list, when we were already challenging that it is not their responsibility to collect VAT. They knew that what they were doing was not the right thing.”
Wike stated that his responsibility in office included making sure that Rivers people are not denied their entitlements.
He described as unfortunate that FIRS has resorted to writing threatening letters to intimidate corporate organisation to pay to them even after they have lost their appeal that sought a stay of execution of the declarative ruling on VAT collection in the state.
Wike urged the business community to be ready to pay VAT for the month of September, 2021, and subsequent months to the Rivers State Internal Revenue Service.
According to him, he has already assented to the Rivers State VAT law passed by the state House of Assembly.
The governor warned corporate organisations not to feign ignorance of the State VAT Law.
He declared that the state government would not hesitate to seal up the premises of any company that defaults.
“We are going to inaugurate the Tax Appeal Commission by Friday which will be headed by a retired judge of the state.”
Wike described the disparity in VAT proceeds and what is given to the states as an inexplicable form of injustice that weakens the performance potential of the states.
“Let me tell you the injustice in this country. In the month of June 2021, which we shared in July, VAT collected in Rivers State was N15.1billion. What they gave us was N4.7billion. See the gross injustice and the money includes contracts awarded by the Rivers State Government.
“This is not an issue of party; it is the issues of infraction of the constitution, issues of illegality. Look at Lagos; it is not the same party with me. In the month of June, 2021, the VAT collected in Lagos was N46.4billion but see what Lagos got, N9.3billion. Have you seen the injustice in the country? VAT collected in Kano was N2.8billion and they gave them N2.8billion. Is there any justice in this country?”
Wike described as morally offensive a situation where Rivers State Government will award contracts for state roads worth N200billion and the FIRS will illegally receive 7.5 per cent of the amount as VAT to be distributed among the states.
“So, you allow me to call the big companies, award contracts to them, then you, FIRS, come and collect the tax and then go and distribute it to other states who are not awarding contracts. How does it sound?”
The governor noted that nobody has been courageous to challenge the illegally perpetrated by FIRS and that history will be kind to Rivers State to have mustered the courage to speak out and also challenge it.
According to Wike, Nigeria is a constitutional democracy and not a military government where rule of law is grossly disregarded.
“I overheard the FIRS chairman saying that I’ll soon know the power of the Federal Government. And that they’ll show me that they have the power to muzzle the Judiciary. You can muzzle them as you want. Let the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court interpret the law so that all of us will go and rest.
“Use all the power you want to use, but history will be written one day and those who will allow themselves to be used to muzzle and misinterpret the law will face God one day.”
Wike pointed out that it is not possible for all states to be at equal standing or be mechanically placed in position of performance without allowing them to exercise their rights within the condition.
He advocated that the federating states should be allowed to explore their creative abilities in utilising the functions as provided in the constitution in order to grow.
On his words, “The powers have already been devolved in the constitution but the federal government does not allow us. All they want us to do is to come and beg and I say I will not beg. Give me what the law says I should get.”
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government has dismissed as false, online social media reports claiming that the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, had alluded that states which forbid sales of alcoholic beverages within their jurisdiction can no longer continue to enjoy Value Added Tax (VAT) receipts from Rivers State.
A statement signed by the Special Assistant (Media) Rivers State Governor, Kelvin Ebiri, last Wednesday, said that the false online publication was only a figment of the imagination of its purveyors, adding that such unprofessional report was aimed at promoting disaffection and disunity in the country, and pitching one ethno-religious group against the other.
The statement read, “The attention of the Rivers State Government has been drawn to a false online publication credited to the Governor of the state, Chief Nyesom Wike.
“In the said publication circulating on social media, the purveyors of lies alleged that Governor Wike in a state-wide broadcast on Monday, September 6, 2021, asserted that states which forbid sales of alcoholic beverages within their jurisdiction can no longer continue to enjoy Value Added Tax (VAT) receipts generated from Rivers State.
“While it is true that Governor Wike made a state-wide broadcast on the aforementioned date, shortly after the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt dismissed Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) request for a stay of execution on the judgment of the court which declared Rivers State as constitutionally empowered to collect VAT and other related taxes in the state, he never said states that forbid sales and consumption of alcoholic beverages will no longer benefit from VAT generated in Rivers State.
“The Rivers State Government considers this obnoxious publication malicious, politically motivated and intended to fan the embers of hatred and cause public disaffection.
“We, hereby urge the public to disregard the said publication”, the statement added.
News
Shettima In Ethiopia For State Visit

Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers

The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
News
Tinubu Orders Civil Service Personnel Audit, Skill Gap Analysis

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.
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