Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Tuesday, advised the 36 state governors to consider merging redundant and ineffective Ministries, Departments and Agencies with viable ones to reduce the cost of governance in their domains.
Obasanjo said this when he received the Chairman, Joint Tax Board and Federal Inland Revenue Service, Dr. Babatunde Fowler, to his Hilltop residence in Abeokuta.
The former president also called on the president and governors to ensure transparency by making the citizens know what it has been doing with taxes and levies citizens and residents have been remitting to governments.
He said, “When times are hard, that is when the government needs more Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and it is also the time that those from whom the government would want to generate funds are finding it hard to get money.
“What to do then? They must continue to try to increase, as much as possible, what each state can generate in terms of IGR. 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 by bringing together institutions that do not have to continue to exist separately.
“And, generally, they must also show that the money they generate and the taxes that the citizens pay are 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.”
Reacting to Obasanjo’s comments, Fowler agreed that taxes remitted by citizens should be judiciously utilised to the benefits of the people.
Dolapo is a writer and journalist who works with YNaija. He has interests in Christianity, politics and sports.
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