Chairman, Niger state Board of Internal Revenue, Mohammed Etsu, has dismissed the allegation of endemic corruption in the board, saying that the allegation was a calculated attempt to distract the board from the ongoing reforms to reposition it for better results.
He said while reacting to what he termed a “faceless petition” of financial recklessness in the revenue board in a press briefing in Minna on Tuesday that the petition is not only baseless but a handiwork of some few individuals that are not ready to embrace the ongoing reforms, meant to clean up the board.
In his words: “if we must meet our set target in the revenue generation in the state, then we must embark on some painful reforms, we must make some changes from the old ways of doing things and that is what some people are not comfortable with”.
The Board Chairman explained that when he assumed office, he met over 30 consultants who were shortchanging the government but decided to sack all of them, adding that sacking all these consultants increased the gang up against him, especially when he brought in qualified hands to handle the revenue of the state.
Estu disclosed that since he assumed office last year, the board has surpassed its N1billion target because of the reforms that he has been able to introduce, pointing out that “my resolve to wipe out the old ways of doing things in the board is causing me bad blood.
“This reform that is generating this bad blood must continue because we must move away from relying on or depending on only oil revenue. We must change the narratives in the revenue generation in the state”, he added.
“The level of corruption I met when I resumed office as Chairman of the board was enormous, and I decided to introduce some reforms to check it. When you fight corruption, corruption fights you back; that is what is happening right now. My ability to clean up the system is what is bringing these allegations and negative reactions.
“My books are clean and the records are there for anybody to come and check. The revenue system in Niger state does not want change and I am trying to clean up the system. Corruption is huge in the revenue board, there are a lot of good policies that I want to bring in but the staff are grumbling, they do not want these changes.
“The staff of Niger state Revenue Board are against change. They try to sabotage those who are brought into the Board who are not staff of the revenue board and they try their best not to allow them to succeed. They do all they can to stop you from achieving your goal. They get involved in gang-ups. The staff do not develop themselves in any way, and they are ready to fight anyone who wants to bring new innovations”, he added.
He therefore maintained that no amount of blackmail will stop him from implementing the necessary reforms that will give the board a new lease of life for better results, adding that “the allegations are baseless and handwork of those that are not ready for the ongoing clean up.”