The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) are targeting an increase in tax revenue by 200per cent.
This follows a presentation from the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Service (FIRS) and Chairman of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), Muhammad Nami, on the national Data for Tax Initiative.
In a communique signed by Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, “the Data for Tax (D4T) initiative envisages an ecosystem where financial and non-financial data on all individuals and economic transactions will be collated into a central National Tax Data Bank with the National Identification Number (NIN) as the primary unifying code.
“Members pledged their support for the project which is aimed at expanding the country’s tax net to at least 90percent of all eligible taxable persons and committed to collaborating with the JTB to increase the country’s aggregate tax revenue by up to 200percent as envisaged.”
On the presentation by the National Convener of the UN Food Systems and Permanent Secretary of Budget and National Planning, Olusola Idowu, on the National Pathway to Food Systems Transformation, the governors assured of their commitment to the plan which is to prioritise the establishment of farm settlement estates for groups of smallholder producers, including women and youths, to increase the supply of farm inputs, the use of machinery, access to extension services, and market access.
“The forum affirmed its commitment to the ideals of the programme which many states are already pursuing and committed to working with the Federal Government to expand the development of these settlements across the country.”
On the brief by Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Alex Okoh on the proposed sale of five power plants under the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), the governors said it was part of the consultative process with state governments who are shareholders of the plants.
The governors, in order to strengthen the national enrollment exercise of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)which has so far seen the issuance of over 74million national identification numbers (NIN) to Nigerians across the country, pledged to support the programme through a string of measures.
The measures include support for sensitisation activities, integration of NIN in state services, and collaboration with telecoms providers to improve network infrastructure for sustained identity registration and authentication.
“Governors re-echoed the need to complete the harmonisation and integration of databases, to reduce the carriage of multiple identifications (IDs) by citizens noting that being able to uniquely identify persons is extremely important for social security and cross-state border management.
“NIMC is to liaise with state governments through its various state coordinators in addition to working with the NGF Secretariat”, they said.
The governors were also updated by the NGF Secretariat’s Health Adviser, Dr Ahmad Abdulwahab, on the country’s health security interventions, particularly on the COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project (COPREP) and the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHPF).
The governors discussed the status of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lassa fever outbreak, and the need to improve the quality of polio campaigns, as well as the setup of State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance Services (SEMSA) with accredited health facilities and requisite personnel.
They were also informed that from the 23rd – 25th February, 2022, they will be joined by a delegation from Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, with the aim of deepening the government’s engagement on routine immunisation, health system strengthening and COVID-19 vaccination in the country.
The forum also congratulated the outgoing Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano who joined the NGF meeting for the last time before he hands over to his successor, Prof Charles Soludo on March 17, 2022.
Obiano was applauded by his colleagues for his impressive performance in Anambra State and his contributions to the growth of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, particularly for significantly enhancing governance outcomes for the people of Anambra State and for overseeing a smooth transition to the incoming governor.