Ganduje inaugurates IGR, Project Completion Committee

Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano

Disturbed by the lean resources in the state treasury, owing to the fall in oil price, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state, northwest Nigeria on Tuesday inaugurated a committee on Internally Generated Revenue IGR, with the responsibility to find better ways of repositioning IGR drive in the state.

The 10-man Committee has a frame of reference to critically examine the state of IGR generation method resources, manpower and advice government on how to substantially improve performance.

The committee is also saddled with the responsibility of developing new means and ways of generating revenue in line with constitutional provision of the state government.

“Develop workable innovative and implementable strategies of generating more revenue to the state using, but not limited to existing tax laws and methods. Proffer any other recommendation that is incidental or consent to the assignment,” Ganduje urged the committee.

He gave the committee four weeks to submit their report, advicing them to visit other states where they believe the IGR drive is stable with a view to learning from them on how they were able to make it, adding that, their task is enormous and very important to the development of the state.

According to the Governor, the immediate past administration initiated programmes that are yet to be completed due to lack of fund, owing to the fall in oil prices which affected the allocations accrued to the state. He stated out that there was need to look inwards because the peoples expectations are high.

“There is a need to improve the standard of living of the people, change the face of Kano, provide water, stable power supply, security of lives and property, transportation and adequate sanitation of the state; all these put together will make Kano the mega-city we are aspiring and we may not be able to achieve this without repositioning our IGR,” he stated.

In his speech, the chairman of the Committee, Prof. Kabiru Dandago promised to do a thorough job, recalling that in 2003, he was part of a Committee given same assignment, “we submitted the report because of transition to a new government then, that report was abandoned. We shall revisit that report. We shall carry all stakeholders along including the private sector because they will have important inputs to make.”

Ganduje also inaugurated a 17-man committee on the completion of on-going projects otherwise known as matrix development.

Ganduje gave the terms of reference of the committee which has Arch Ibrahim Haruna as its chairman to include documentation of all on-going projects with the status of works, level of payments and outstanding works and payment.

Ganduje also urged the Committee to, “prioritize the projects based on public needs and expediency of resources for completion. He said adjustment of scope, quantities should be looked at with a view to make the projects more purposeful for the target beneficiaries.

“Advice government on the best ways for completion of these projects; advice government on any other feasible projects to be embarked upon; make any other recommendation that is incidental or deemed appropriate to terms of reference and submit the report within four weeks,” Ganduje stated.