Date: 2016-10-13

The Director General of Kwara State Internally Generated Services (KWIRS) Dr. Muritala Awodun, said the revenue collection body generated a sum of N21.65 million within the last three months as costs of obtaining Certificates of Citizenships from the existing 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state. The sum of money collected as Internally Generated Revenue, (IGR), covered 8,426 applicants with Ifelodun, Irepodun, Ilorin East, Ilorin West, Offa and Oyun LGAs recording the largest number of the collections.

Awodun, in a meeting with the Chairmen of the LGAs yesterday in Ilorin said the money may tripple by the last quarter of the year, citing admission into higher institutions of learning that would require the submission of the said certificate. The KWIRS boss while declaring the activities of the IGR collection body with the councils as laudable and progressing said it collected a sum of N32.8 million for the first quarter of the year, while it increased to N53.3 million per cent in the second quarter and N82.3 million in the third quarter.

He added, "the fourth quarter should be more than that, in fact we are targeting a sum of N100million or more. It is the period many people will collect the citizenship and pay their tenement rates. The LGAs had since allowed us to collect the IGR for them in all the areas.

The councils chairmen had few months ago handed over the revenue collection at councils to the KWIRS, established by the state government to collect all its IGR on its behalf. The existing councils in the state are under the control of All Progressives Congress (APC).

On whether any change in political trend would hamper the activities of the KWIRS within the councils, Awodun said there should be a clear cut distinction between politics and governance.

"Immediately a council chairman is elected he ceases to be a party man, but a council boss. So irrespective of the party in control of the councils, when they see the level of the efficiency of the KWIRS, the chairmen will not say otherwise."