The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) earlier this week published data of IGR collected by the 36 states of the federation and the FCT in 2023. According to the NBS data, Anambra State under Prof. Charles Soludo generated N33.46 billion, which is lower than the N33.97 billion the state generated in 2022. This figure placed Anambra at the number 14 position in Nigeria below states like Kaduna, Ondo, Kwara, Edo, Oyo, Enugu and seven other states.
The latest data from NBS on IGR decline for Anambra mirrors the level of stagnation and sometimes retrogression taking place in many sectors of the Anambra economy under Prof. Charles Soludo, who unfortunately prides himself as a renowned Economist. It is shocking that whilst Anambra witnessed a reduction in its “official” IGR figures, less endowed states like Ebonyi increased their internally generated revenue by N16.84 billion and leaped from 34th to 17th on the IGR ranking table. Even our neighbouring Enugu State surpassed Anambra in terms of IGR generated. This is not normal!
The IGR return posted by Soludo’s government for 2023 is a far cry from what Anambra should be doing especially when you consider the level of economic activities going on in the state as well as the way the Soludo regime sucks out taxes from the pockets of ndi Anambra including those it supposedly “exempted” from taxes. It is an established fact that Anambra State is one of the very few states that can boast of multiple commercial and industrial cities.
Anambra boasts of a major industrial city in Nnewi, one of Nigeria’s largest commercial cities in Onitsha, which also has a sizeable industrial footprint, an administrative city with a mixed commercial and industrial presence in Awka in addition to other bustling cities such as Ekwulobia, Ihiala, Abagana, Agulu, Enugwu-Ukwu, etc. These are besides other countless towns that are beehive of commercial activities spread across the state. It is therefore an aberration for Anambra State to be announcing IGR levels lower than Enugu State or less than N3 billion above what an Ebonyi State generated.
It becomes even more heartbreaking when you compare the IGR performance of some states beyond the South East with that of Anambra State. For example, Kaduna state generated an IGR of N62.49B in 2023 when Anambra was clocking only N33.46B – a difference of N29 billion! What activity is taking place in Kaduna that you cannot find in Anambra? This is a question the Soludo administration must provide answer to.
This poor revenue performance by the Soludo administration has made us to conclude that the vast majority of Anambra internally generated revenue most likely goes into the pockets of either Soludo himself, his appointed revenue agents or APGA stakeholders who serve as revenue consultants to the state government. The Progressives Media strongly believe that over 60% of revenues that should ordinarily enter into the state treasury end up being diverted to private pockets. This is the reason why Anambra State is punching far below its weight.
Ndi Anambra, it is time to send questionnaires to the Soludo-led government of Anambra State before it runs the state aground. First, why is it that despite collecting daily taxes and levies from hawkers, petty traders, shop owners, and even barrow pushers across hundreds of markets in Anambra State, in addition to the taxes on Keke, shuttle buses, normal buses, motorcycles, business premises, waste management, property tax, land levies, signboards/outdoor advertising, stamp duties, employee incomes etc, Soludo can only record N33.46 billion as remitted revenue in one year?
Soludo should come out plainly and tell ndi Anambra where the bulk of the taxes and levies they pay is going into. If he is diverting these revenues to finance his re-election campaign as he has been doing to the LGA FAAC allocations, he should come out and tell ndi Anambra. Soludo and APGA should understand that the era of Anambrarians keeping quiet is gone. People struggle to make money, the government extract taxes from them and divert the bulk of it to private pockets while remitting paltry sums with the hope that people would not notice or ask questions. That era is gone!
As we await the response from the Soludo administration on this issue, we ask ndi Anambra to get ready to rally behind a man that will bring transparency into governance in Anambra State, a man that will not treat the sweat of Ndi Anambra as political cake, a man that will make revenue collection civilised and efficient, a man that will increase our IGR by restructuring the tax system, a man that will TRULY EXEMPT many low income earners such as petty traders, hawkers and barrow pushers from every form of taxes and levies. This man is Sir Paul Chukwuma. He is coming to rescue Anambra State from the corruption scene APGA and Soludo has turned our dear state into. Let us take back our state.
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