By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service, (AIRS),
Mr Richard Nwora Madiebo, has resigned from his position.
Mr. Madiebo announced his resignation on Thursday, June 1, while addressing the staff of the Service in a meeting in his office in Awka, the State capital.
According to his, the reason for his resignation was based on his decision to serve just one year in Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration, which, he said he also told Governor Soludo when he was appointed to head the agency.
It was gathered that additional reason for his resignation was his missing of his entitlements at the financial institutions where he was working before, while other colleagues of his have been receiving theirs.
He therefore harped on the urgent need for his resignation, in keeping of his word, as well as to pursue other dreams he has.
“Today marks the end of my tenure as the Chairman of Anambra internal Revenue Services. I have the mandate to assist in repositioning the Service; and I think we have done that. For us, it has been a rewarding time. I want to say thank you to Mr. Governor.
“I want to say a very big thank you to the Service. And, most importantly, I believe that you will continue to partner with the state, and that Anambra, and hopefully, Anambra will get to the next level,” he said.
The Head, Taxpayer Education and Enlightenment Team (TEET) in the agency, Sylvia Tochukwu-Ngige confirmed the resignation, while also highlighting some of his major achievements in the agency in one year in office.
According to her, Mr. Madiebo assumed office with a mandate from the Anambra State Government to digitize the collection system of the formal, semi-formal, and Informal sectors in the State in line with the vision of Mr. Governor.
She said, “During his one year in office, the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Anambra State recorded a progressive increase from an average of N1.5Bn monthly to N2.2Bn monthly and growing.
“Mr. Madiebo, a Digital Transformer and a veteran in Tax and Revenue Business in an interview said he was able to implement a digitization process (in line with Mr. Governor’s vision of all things Digital and Technology everywhere) for all the MDAs in the State to connect them centrally, as well as digitize the commercial transport sector which he said was formerly largely manual in nature.
“He increased Taxpayer enrollment by 40% and launched the deployment of multi-Agent payment services with over 4,000 Agents across the State, using POS terminals. This, he explained enabled the growth of revenue coming from that sector from about N10M to about N200M a month. The Revenue growth from the sector, he said would have been lost to illegal revenue collectors if not for the digitization. He explained that through the scheme, members of the sector were able to verify their payments, digitally, link their Data and also delink, a first of its kind in Nigeria ( thereby creating a dynamic Data set for the informal sector).
“Mr. Madiebo collaborated with Anambra Health Insurance Agency in launching the free Medical Health Insurance Services for commercial Transport Operators in the State who are enrolled and up to date with their monthly payment. The current deployment of the ‘Do it Yourself Tax Assessment and Payment Model’ ( also known as the Tax DIY) is another initiative aimed at ensuring that Ndi Anambra can file, pay and recieve receipts digitally. He provided Wi-Fi services in partnership with a consultant to have a full internet network at Revenue House and has commenced the process of spreading this initiative across the three Zonal Tax Offices in the State for greater efficiency in the Revenue management process.
“Ongoing, he ensured the provision of Solar Energy at the Revenue House to provide better services, reduce the cost of public power supply to the office, and the cost of power.
“The Chairman has also proposed several important bills to be passed to the Anambra State House of Assembly in a bid to ensure an efficient anf forward looking Service ; Some of the bills are : Autonomy of the Revenue Board, bill for Harmonized rates for taxes and levies, Consumption tax, Capital Gains Tax, Stamp Duties, etc.
“The on going comprehensive digital deployment of the services of AiRS is aimed at ending the activities of Revenue touts , reducing Revenue leakages and leading to a Data driven service able to help Mr. Governor’s vision for growth in Revenue and positive social impact.
“He assured that the Service was poised to grow Revenue to N48Bn in line with the Budget for the current year and a minimum of N70Bn for the year 2024 and appealed to “Ndi Anambra” to cooperate with the government by ensuring that taxes and levies were paid promptly, explaining that the funds government utilized to develop the State were from taxes and levies paid by citizens.”
Soludo reacts…
Reacting to the resignation, Governor Soludo said he had received Madiebo’s notice of resignation.
Soludo, who spoke through his Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Aburime, also debunked the speculation that the former AIRS Chairman resigned due to clash of responsibilities in the Service.
“He has resigned, and there is no issue with his resignation. Such argument never existed. It is a rumour. Everything was cordial. He has decided to resign. And the Governor has accepted his resignation. So, there is no issue or any such argument as is being claimed and propagated by some people,” Aburime said.
