Bauchi needs to boost IGR for rapid development ― Bala Mohammed

Dissatisfied with the current low income from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has declared that his administration has taken strategic steps that will jerk up the present N200m IGR to N1billion.

Tribune Online reports that the governor said the new revenue target will help augment what amount the administration is collecting from the federation account for development.

Bala Mohammed who made the disclosure at a media chat on Saturday to mark his one year in office in Bauchi said that the administration is trying to do what has been done in other states particularly Kwara which has been able to improve its IGR tremendously.

The governor said that: “The only way to ensure rapid development of our state is to raise our IGR because it is so low. We don’t have to rely on Federal Allocation because it is no longer enough due to the dwindling economy. Right now, we have concluded arrangements to procure a consultant to help us as we don’t want to burden other sectors.”

On the fight against the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the state, he said that: “The coronavirus pandemic has slowed down everything globally. We have conquered coronavirus and even the WHO has said that we will have to live with the virus. We have been singled out as one of the states that have done so much in the fight against COVID 19. We are the epicentre of the pandemic, starting with me, for everybody to see and know that the coronavirus is not joke. Out of the 235 cases, only 22 are on admission in the state.

ALSO READ: Resident doctors give FG 14-day ultimatum over salary reduction, sack

“So far, we have achieved so much during the first year, we are doing a very robust cash flow, management of resources and freeing resources where they are locked up by corruption, ineptitude and inefficiency. We are deepening and reinvigorating the bureaucracy in such a manner that will look inwards and provide good and effective services within our limited resources,” the governor said.

He lamented that the previous administration was extravagant in the management of resources citing a situation where as much as N50m was used for one trip to Abuja from Bauchi as well as non-usage of various loans taken for the purpose they were taken.

He, however, said that “we will do everything possible to retrieve our money, Where we cannot rescue our resources directly, we will go to the EFCC or ICPC and get our money back. Even previous projects that were done in the previous administration like the Soro-Miya road. We are not going to let go of the money that Bauchi State have, we must get it back. So we are working hard, but quietly. We don’t want overexposure.”

The governor also said that his administration will be financially prudent in its spending, adding that the cash flow is very tight as the government pledged to pay N300 million every year for gratuities and pensions, but sometimes the government pay less because it has to pay every statutory allocation.