Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has called for stronger collaboration among revenue-generating agencies in the state to increase Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), block leakages and improve service delivery.
Oyebanji made the call on Thursday during a mid-year review meeting with heads of revenue-generating agencies at the Executive Council Chamber, Governor’s Office, Ado-Ekiti.
The meeting reviewed the state’s revenue administration, performance of revenue-generating agencies and compliance with existing revenue policies.
The meeting was attended by the Commissioner for Finance, Akin Oyebode; Commissioner for Transport, Kehinde Ajobiewe; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Niyi Adebayo; Chairman of the Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service (EKIRS), Niran Olatona; Accountant General of the state, Ariyike Olayinka; and other political and administrative heads of revenue-generating agencies.
The governor stressed the need for all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to work closely with EKIRS, noting that effective collaboration was essential to achieving the state’s revenue targets.
He said the meeting was also aimed at assessing the performance of the various revenue-generating agencies, identifying challenges and prospects, and developing strategies to improve revenue collection.
The heads of the agencies presented feedback on their respective challenges, revenue targets and plans for improving their performance.
Oyebanji subsequently directed all revenue-generating agencies to fully transition from manual revenue collection to automated processes.
He described manual revenue collection as outdated and vulnerable to leakages and fraudulent practices.
As part of efforts to strengthen compliance, the governor announced that the state government would conduct a comprehensive review of the level of compliance by all revenue-generating agencies in September.
Oyebanji said his administration remained committed to building a more efficient and transparent revenue collection system.
He charged the heads of the agencies to support the government’s vision by working together, adhering strictly to established procedures and ensuring that every revenue due to the state was properly accounted for.
The governor said improved revenue administration would not only strengthen the state’s finances but also contribute to more effective delivery of public services to residents.
