Apparently unhappy with the Rivers State Board of Internal Revenue over its poor revenue generation, the State House of Assembly has called for total overhaul of the Board to facilitate greater efficiency.

This was the fall-out of the lawmakers’ deliberation at last weekend legislative session while contributing debate on the 2011 Appreciation Bill presented by Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi last week.

The   lawmakers unanimously agreed that Amaechi’s 2011 Budget proposal of N414.1 billion tagged Budget of Transformation was rightly articulated and focused, but expressed dismay that the N77. billion proposed  in the budget as amount to be internally generated by the Board for next year was totally unacceptable.

Before committing the 2011 Appropriation Bill to committee stage, the legislators agreed that if the Board of internal Revenue is overhauled and repositioned, there is no way it cannot generate more than what was stated in the budget.

The chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Hon Jones Ogbonda, who took the first swipe while  contributing to the general debate frowned at the benchmark of N77.1 billion proposed in the budget by the state government as internally generated revenue (IGP) for 2011 budget, noting that the success of every budget implementation depends largely on the level of revenue it generates internally.

Going by the figures, Hon Ogbonda said the State government depends solely on federal allocation in order to meet the expectations of the budgets.

According  to him, the situation is unhealthily and precarious to the economy of the state. He therefore urged the state government to look in-wards in order to widen the horizon  of its internal revenue base even as he appealed to the state government to resume dialogue with striking lecturers of the state-owned  tertiary institutions in order to find a lasting solution to the hungering RSG-ASUU face-off.

In their various contributions, Hon. Chidi Lioyd (Emohua), Ibroma kichner (AKULGA II), Hon Hope Ikiriko (Ahoada West), and Hon Onari Brown (AKULGA I), agreed that there is need to fine tune the revenue drive of the state even as they acknowledged that Amaechi administration has made a huge investment in infrastructural development in the State.

The lawmakers while reviewing the 2010 budget performance averred that the executive arm of government has implemented the budget as appropriated. The legislators remarked  that next year’s budget estimate will be geared towards accomplishing  the hope and aspirations of the Rivers people and urged their colleagues to give the appropriation bill the desired attention it deserved.

Hon. Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja (Opobo/Nkoro), however urged his colleagues to critically look into the budget with a view to ensuring compliance into budgetary rules.

The speaker, Rivers Assembly, Rt. Hon Tonye Harry while committing the bill into the  committee stage reminded the legislators of enormity of the task ahead as they are likely to forfeit their Christmas and Boxing Day holidays as part of  the sacrifice they will make in order to ensure the passage of the bill into law before the end of this year.

Bekweru Weli & Esther Ihekoromadu