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Revenue Generation: The Rivers Example

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When the American economist, Cirero wrote that: “man does not realise how great a revenue economy is”, he was apparently referring to the prime objective of taxation as the bulwark needed to obtain the economic expansion for stable growth and development in any given society.
Today, modernisation of tax systems in line with global best practices and policies has become a major concern of economies and governments. Tax administration is however determined by the peculiar economic environment it operates.
The strategic location and natural disposition of Rivers State makes it a destination for prospective companies and individuals who tap from its enormous economic potentials for their corporal survival.
With such unfettered altraction offered by Rivers State to myriads of corporate organisations with vested business concern, and other fortune seekers, existing infrastructures are stretched.
This places a burden and bulk of responsibilities on the government in terms of provision of basic amenities to cater for the yearning aspirations and spiraling increase in the population of the state.
However, determined to live up to its responsibilities of governance, the present administration in Rivers State led by Chief (Barr.) Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has put in place pragmatic reform policies to shore up revenue generation in the state, through effective tax administration.
The new tax regime in the state is premised on the objective that the thrust of governance depends on constant redefinition of goals and vigilance of governance to tackle inefficiencies in administrative procedures.
The first step made by the government of Rivers State is this direction was the reorganisation of the management of the Rivers State Internal Revenue Services. (RIRS).
The new management of (RIRS) assumed office with specific mandate to overhaul the tax administration system in the state and put in place a more robust and compliance friendly regime.
The fundamental objective of the new tax policy is to ensure that all those who do legitimate business in Rivers State pay their taxes accordingly without extraneous influence or doubt in the verification process.
The fact been that the previous system was inundated with the activities of touts who paraded themselves as tax administrators.
Speaking with newsmen during a briefing recently, the Chairman of the Rivers State Internal Revenue Services, Chief Adoage Norteh said the Rivers State Government has introduced on-line transaction in its tax administration to check the errors and palpable defects in the manual system of operation which was previously in use.
The RIRS Chairman said the e-transaction was introduced to encourage voluntary compliance on the part of the tax-paying public, noting that the facilities have component of detecting fraud in the system.
He said: “before we came on board, tax clearance was manual and cumbersome, the process was chaotic and prone to infiltration by touts, but the Rivers State Internal Services introduced an on-line system to make transactions easier for the tax-paying public”.
He pointed out that the new system accommodates complaints and promote 24 hours services, adding that enumerators from (RIRS) were on ground to take data and ensure that income earners pay their taxes accordingly.
While the Rivers State Government is softening the ground for tax-payers in the state to leverage upon, the government has also made bold its resolve to tackle tax evasion headlong.
According to the RIRS chairman, tax defaulters in the state henceforth risk jail as the government will ensure that those with such criminal tendencies are fished out and prosecuted.
As part of its innovations to promote voluntary tax compliance in the state, RIRS has also embarked on the free registration of all eligible tax payers in the state, with strict caution against any monetary demands from anybody including staff of RIRS.
By the new policy which is expected to be fully implemented from the first quarter of 2019, companies are expected to carry out all tax clearance and registration by the end of January 2019, while deadline for individual registration will end in March 2019. The Rivers State Internal Revenue Services, (RIRS) has also made it mandatory that all tax payments must be paid to designated government accounts, while those parading as tax administrators and making cash demands should be treated as touts.
According to the RIRS Chairman, “90% of people parading as tax administrators are touts, task drive from RIRS is conducted in an organised manner, we don’t demand money at the door, all money should be paid to government account”.
Another interesting aspect of the new tax regime in Rivers State, is the nature of its service delivery. The new system is completely devoid of partisan involvement, as it is handled professionally by experts.
This absence of partisan meddlesomeness has given desired impetus to the system to strive, thereby bringing commensurate result.
The RIRS Chairman affirmed this when he declared that the new tax regime in the state has so far recorded significant improvement and checked the inefficiencies of the past.
He said the level of compliance has boosted the internally generated revenue based in the state which has robbed off positively in the development of critical infrastructures.
Although the RIRS Chairman admitted that tax has its darker side, he noted that tax remains the fundamental incentive that builds industries, create jobs and improve the general standards of living of the people.
On the perceived discontent of some people over alleged multiple taxation by the Rivers State Government, the RIRS Chairman said the Rivers State Government was not involved in multiple taxation. Rather he said that Rivers State operates one of the best tax friendly regimes by collecing task on individual earnings, Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and urged the tax-paying public to reciprocate the gesture through voluntary compliance.
The Rivers State Internal Revenue Services (RIRS) also identified inadequate information as the bane of effective tax system.
It therefore blamed some of the misgivings on the part of the tax-paying public on poor information.
As part of measures of ensuring a robust tax regime in the state, the RIRS Chairman said modalities have been concluded to partner with the media to critically engage the tax-paying public through public sensitisation of its activities.
Describing the media, as critical stakeholders in the polity, he said media houses should make it part of their corporate social responsibilities to inform the public on Government policies.
Perhaps one of the major breakthrough in the tax system in Rivers State is the unnerving of the sacred cow syndrome.
Most of the virulent critics of the new tax regime in the state are those that are rooted out of their comfort zones of deliberate tax default. These include company owners who refuse to open up their records for scrutiny, and as such defraud the state government.
According to the Rivers State Internal Revenue Services (RIRS) Chairman, such a deliberate neglect of the tax system is the shortest route to economic ruins and will not be tolerated in Rivers State. It could be recalled that the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike had at different fora, restated the commitment of his administration towards good governance and prudent use of resources for the development of the state.
However, to keep faith with this social contract and public trust, the government also needs to leverage on an improved internally generated revenue based to complement the dwindling federal allocation.

 

Taneh Beemene

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

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National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

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In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
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