By Stanley Okoro Emegh
Management can be defined as a strategic and coherent approach adopted for the accomplishment of organisational goals. Unarguable, this involves formulation of interrelated polices with ideological and philosophical underpinning which dictates the road map for the actualisation of the set objectives, with finance playing an indomitable role. The impressive outing of Engr. David Umahi as Ebonyi State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and also as Deputy Governor from 2007 to 2015 afforded him the rare privilege and opportunity to garner sufficient knowledge and experience about the priority needs of the people in different localities in the state. No wonder Gov. Umahi had, during his electioneering, identified with clarity the peculiar problems affecting these localities and, however, expressed his determination to tackle the felt needs of the people if elected as the state chief executive. There is no doubt that he has relentlessly matched his promise with action since he assumed office.
The drastic shortfall in the revenue accruing to states from the Federation Account as a result of the dwindling oil revenue, no doubt compelled the state government to look inwards and consider the possibility of diversifying the state economy in order to meet with the conflicting demands and diverse interest of its citizenry.
Consequently, Umahi in his magnanimity and wisdom domesticated internal revenue generation in the state for purpose of maximising internal revenue proceeds. The constitution of an eight-man board for state Internal Revenue Service is a positive step with a mandate to boost the IGR within the shortest possible time. The board headed by Prince Ugorji Oti has demonstrated ingenuity in re-designing the concept of internal revenue generation by exploring and exploiting all avenues of internal revenue sources as approved by law.
There is no gain saying the fact that the board as reconstituted has since its inception adopted a holistic approach in tackling its statutory functions and had taken fundamental and far reaching decisions towards sanitising and repositioning the system for effective and efficient service delivery including:
i. Checking incidence of corruption and sharp practices with a view to bringing perpetrators of such fraudulent acts to book;
ii. Effective collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Commission to eliminate incidence of fake Drivers Licenses and Vehicle Plate Numbers.
iii. Deploy resources in order to ascertain taxable people in the State so as to guide against tax evasion’
iv. Collaborating with LGs to ensure effective collection of tenement rate where applicable;
v. Repossession of government properties (housing estates) from defaulting allottees;
It is gratifying to note that Ebonyi State government has shown unwavering commitment towards revolutionising the agricultural sector in order to ensure food sufficiency enough to promote and guarantee commercial export of agricultural produce. In addition, the government has resolved all legal encumbrances which hitherto had grounded the Nkalagu Cement Factory (Nigercem) to a state of comatose and has signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the host community and the core investor, “the Ibeto Group” to fast track mass production of cement, and at the same time arrangements have reached advanced stage for purposes of conducting a geophysical survey of salt deposit sites at Uburu, Okposi and Idembia respectively for salt development. These measures will nevertheless stimulate the state economy and provide job opportunities to unemployed youths.
Unequivocally, the Gov. Umahi-led administration has demonstrated a deep sense of patriotism in handling the issue of diversification of the state economy with vigor and vitality. The new tax regime of the State Government wears a human face as the chargeable revenue items approved by the State House of Assembly appear to be the least in comparison to what are obtainable in other states especially within the South East geopolitical zone. Umahi in his benevolence has by extension approved provision of land and tax holiday for a specific period of grace to private investors as a way of encouraging them.
In the light of the foregoing, Ebonyi State governor has demonstrated his passion and commitment to the welfare of the people, having executed projects across the 13 LGAs of the state despite the lean resources. Therefore, residents of Ebonyi State can only reciprocate this wonderful feat by exercising their civil obligation to the state.
• Emegh, who wrote in from Ekoli-Edda, is a member of the , Ebonyi State Advisory Committee on Projects Implementation and Monitoring