Merge MDAs to reduce costs of governance, OBJ urges govs

Nigeria’s former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has urged governors of the 36 states of the country to reduce the numbers of minsitries, department and agencies of government (MDAs) that are ineffective, so as to boost the nation’s dwindling economy.

He stated this on Tuesday, while receiving the chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue (FIRS), Mr Babatunde Fowler and chairmen of Revenue Boards in the 36 states in his hilltop residence, in Abeokuta.

He explained that both the government at the centre and at the state levels must be accountable to the people by spending the taxes and levies collected from the people effectively.

He said: “When times are hard, it is when the government need more internally generated revenue, and it is also the time that those from whom the government would want to generate funds are hard to be able to get money.

“What do we have to do? They must continue to try by increasing as much as possible, what each state can generate in terms of internally generated revenue, but states must also embark on a number of things.

“One, reducing waste. two, they have to look into becoming slimmer. Government can do a lot by looking at their own establishments. Where they have to bring together institutions that don’t need to continue to exist separately.

“And, generally, also show that the money they generate, the tax that the citizens pay are well utilised, and they can show that the tax the people pay has been well utilised.

“I think these are some of the things we have to do to get us out of the tight situation that we are all in, and we pray that the tax will roll in sooner than later.”