Abia Monthly IGR shores up to N500 Million

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines Thursday, January 9th, 2014

IGNATIUS OKPARA, Enugu

Abia state government says her monthly internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has risen from 150 to N500 million naira.

Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Eze Chikamnayo, disclosed on Wednesday in Umuahia, the Abia state capital while speaking with newsmen.

He said before now, the state’s IGR was between N150 and N200 million monthly.

The commissioner however, attributed the increase to efforts of the government to ‘’plug all the loopholes in the revenue collection process.

According to the commissioner, it was on account of the improved finances of the state, that the government decided to recall the non-indigenes who were sacked from the state civil service in 2011.

Chikamnayo, disclosed that at least 2,500 disengaged workers had so far been recalled by the state government.

He blamed the sack of the non-Abia workers to the dwindling revenue of the state government occasioned by the minimum wage policy.

The commissioner also said that plans were afoot for the establishment of a pilot grazing fields in the three senatorial zones of the state.

Such measure he said, was designed to check alleged menace of herdsmen and incessant crisis between some Abia communities and the herdsmen.

African Examiner reports that some communities in the state, had at different times in the past, accused the herdsmen of destroying their farmlands while grazing.

The commissioner also explained that resolve by the state government to establish more Liberation Farms in the agrarian communities was aimed at boosting food production in the area.

He stated that the state government’s youth empowerment programme would also be rotated among the 17 local government areas in the state.

The Governor Theodore Oji, led administration according to him, is happy with the complementary role of the state and National Assembly members from the area, especially the introduction of empowerment programmes in their respective constituents.

He said such programmes had not only created employment for the teeming unemployed youths, but has also created employers of labour in the state. The Commissioner, had expressed delight that the proposed seaport in the state had received the approval of the appropriate government agencies. He assured that most of the projects, initiated by the present administration would be completed and commissioned this year.