By Okey Maduforo Awka
Twenty four hours after Gov Charles Soludo of Anambra handed down a three months ultimatum to the newly inaugurated the Internally Generated Revenue Committee to perform or get sacked , there is panic among alleged government officials who have been fingered to diverting the revenue of the state.
Already some of the suspected perpetrators are making efforts to bribe both the Committee and the Transporters Forum but have met a brick wall while names are being compiled for prosecution.
To this end the committee in conjunction with the Anambra Joint Transporters Forum has concluded arrangements to publish and expose names of top government officials who have been working with touts to steal state revenue.
Recall that Soludo had lamented the dwindling revenue of the state adding that some persons and group of persons have been neck deep in cornering revenue meant for the state.
According to the Executive Director for Anambra North Senatorial District of the IGR committee Dr Christian Madubuko shortly after a meeting with the Transporters,
“We are aware that some top government functionaries are neck deep in defrauding the state of it’s Internally Generated Revenue and they do that with the touts in the state who pay into their private bank accounts and we know them ”
“The directive of the governor is clear and we can only beat the three months deadline by fishing out and exposing those government functionaries no matter their positions in government and we are using the stakeholders in all the sectors to do that”
Chairman of Anambra Joint Transporters Forum Mr Elvis Okoli this has been happening in the past and nothing is being done about it but with what the governor has said we are now emboldened to tackle revenue thieves headlong ”
“We are setting up Revenue Courts to try those touts as well as those in government who connive with them and bring them to book and with the assistance of our members we are going to succeed ”
“We already have lists of such people and some of them have been making efforts to reach us but we are not going to listen to them because it is a total war against revenue thieves ” he said.
