Politics
THE Benue state government says it generates an average of N1.2 billion monthly as Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, outside the Pay As You Earn, PAYE, tax.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Terso Kula who made this known Thursday while speaking to newsmen in Makurdi said the books of the government were open to public scrutiny.
He stated that the government was judiciously applying the resources of the state for the good of the generality of the people.
The Chief Press Secretary said he could not be specific with the monthly actuals from the federal allocation blaming it on loan repayments that were usually deducted from source.
He said: “We generate not less than N1.2 billion monthly through the Benue Internal Revenue Services, BIRS. This is outside the PAYE.
“And because of pending loans, what the government gets from federal allocation (leftovers after loans deductions) at the end of the month which is little is what is added up to the monthly generated revenue to do the projects you see all over.”
He debunked claims that the state government awarded a N44 billion contract for the construction of a bypass at the High-Level Roundabout without going through due process.
He informed that the contract originated in November 2023 at the Ministerial Tenders Board, stressing that “the bid for the contract opened on December 23, 2023, with Bauhaus Global Investment Nigeria Ltd known to deliver quality job getting the contract.
“The sum of the contract is N6 billion, not even close to N10 billion not to talk of N44 billion. A bypass is meant to construct another road. It was captured properly in the budget.”
VANGUARD
15th February, 2024.
C.E.
Tags: CPs IGR Terso Kula
