Civil society organisations in Yobe State under the aegis of Network of Yobe Civil Society Organizations (NYCSO) have expressed worry over the persistently low Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) performance of the state government.
The group, in a statement signed by its executive director, Alhaji Baba Shehu, said despite commendable efforts by the administration of His Excellency Hon. Mai Mala Buni to enact laws aimed at prudent resource management and fiscal stability the recent fiscal performance report, ranking Yobe State as the 32nd state in the country in 2023, raises significant alarms.
NYCSO however attributed the ranking to the state’s low IGR, coupled with a skyrocketing domestic debt profile.
Shehu said despite a slight increase in IGR compared to 2022, the non-operationalization of the Yobe State Internal Revenue Law, assented to by His Excellency since 2021, remains a critical setback to effective and efficient revenue generation.
The CSOs stared: “The lack of a substantive leadership for the Yobe State Internal Revenue Service coupled with the absence of an Executive Order for enforcement of the law by the IRS has contributed significantly to the current fiscal instability of the state.
“The capital budget performance of some key service delivery MDAs as at Q3 is equally abysmal and contradictory with His Excellency’s policy statements for the 2023 fiscal year budget proposals.”
Shehu further called on the state government to appoint a substantive Chairman for the Yobe State Internal Revenue Service in accordance with the provisions of the Law to ensure stable leadership that will drive effective revenue generation initiatives.
Moreso, the CSOs urged the state government to grant the Yobe State Internal Revenue Service an Executive Order to implement the Revenue Law effectively, thereby enhancing the collection and remittance of all revenues in line with the provisions of the State Revenue Law 2021 (as amended).
They also asked the governor to direct all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to be intentional about improving revenue generation.
“NYCSO calls on the state government to sincerely implement the recommendations of the State Fiscal Responsibility reports of the previous years.
“The state government should also judiciously address all recommendations raised in the State Auditor General’s Reports for the previous years,” the statement added.
