The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has set an annual target of over N250 billion as projected internally generated revenue (IGR) for accelerated development of the FCT.
The Mandate Secretary, Economic Planning, Revenue Generation, and Public Private Partnership Secretariat (EPRGPPPS), Barr. Charles Elechi made the proposal in Abuja on Friday during an interactive session on revenue generation, monitoring, and tracking exercise held with revenue officers at the FCDA conference hall, Area 11, Abuja.
Addressing participants at the session, the mandate secretary charged all heads and officers of revenue-generating Secretariats, Departments, and agencies (SDAs) to redouble their efforts in their revenue-generation drive to boost the IGR profile of the administration.
“The objective of this meeting is to put heads together and lay down ground rules. Whatever happens or goes wrong in the EPRGPPPS, the Governor of the FCT, that is, Mr President, will hear about it through the Hon. Minister of the FCT, and he will not be pleased,” the Secretary emphasised.
Elechi explained that the meeting was critical in view of the dwindling revenue profile of the FCT Administration and the need to provide adequate qualitative infrastructure in the FCT towards accelerated development and economic transformation of the Territory.
In a statement issued to newsmen by Head of Information, EPRGPPPS, Nnachi Okafor, on Friday night, Elechi reminded them that the days of oil boom revenue were over, giving way to the generation of IGR to drive the machinery of governance.
“The days of oil boom revenue have gone. What is in vogue is the generation of IGR to drive the machinery of governance in the FCT.
A good IGR can do a lot of magic. As you are aware, revenue generation is critical to the development and sustenance of every economy and infrastructural development.
In this regard, it is very important to inform you that the FCT Administration is saddled with the responsibility of providing many basic infrastructural facilities for FCT residents,” he noted.
The Secretary further explained that “Without revenue, the government cannot provide public infrastructure such as good roads, hospitals, schools, and other welfare services.
Improved IGR is paramount to the funding of the administration to augment the dwindling Federal Government’s Monthly Statutory Allocations for accelerated infrastructural development in the FCT.
Therefore, there is a strong need for all of us to redouble our efforts to attain our IGR targets and deliver on these enormous responsibilities.”
Barr. Elechi, therefore, urged all heads of revenue-generating SDAs to brace up for the challenges ahead by working in synergy with other stakeholders for effective revenue generation and tracking.
He charged every SDA to identify all revenue-yielding sources, pursue their revenue targets, and block all loopholes and revenue leakages.
He further explained that the meeting was quite critical as it offered the opportunity to discuss the problems and challenges facing the various SDAs in revenue generation, collection, and management to explore ways of improving revenue generation and reducing leakages in the system.
He said: “From all indications, part of the major challenges we face in revenue generation and collection is the problem of revenue leakage and inefficient harmonisation of taxes and levies.
However, I learned that management had made serious efforts in this direction through the creation of a tax and revenue harmonisation committee to address the challenges.”
He said the committee was responsible for harmonising all taxes, levies, and revenues collectible in the FCT while rationalising the tax system to reduce the incidence of multiple taxation and unnecessary conflicts that may arise from revenue collection in line with global best practices.
The Mandate Secretary also informed the revenue officers of the need to build their capacity for optimum performance in revenue generation and management, as well as achieving the mandate and target set for them by the Hon. Minister.
“Beyond that, we need to explore ways of building the capacity of our revenue officers to improve their skills and knowledge in revenue collection and administration.
This is very critical if we must achieve the mandate and target set for us by the Hon. Minister,” Barr. Elechi stressed.
The meeting was attended by heads of revenue and other representatives from the various SDAs of the FCT Administration. Some of the SDAs include the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS), the FCT Inland Revenue Service (FCT-IRS), the Department of Outdoor Advertising and Signage (DOAS), the FCT Water Board, the Health and Environmental Services Secretariat, the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), and the Transport Secretariat, among others.
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