I am indeed, happy to be here for this send off, award and dinner for former members of the Joint Tax Board. It is a thing of joy to see some of my former colleagues and friends again – people I had warm relationship with while I was serving as the Executive Chairman of the Delta State Internal Revenue Service from September 30th, 2015 to June 30th, 2022, and, by extension, member of the Joint Tax Board. I thank the Almighty God who has kept us alive and healthy to witness this memorable occasion.
I was appointed the Executive Chairman, Delta State Internal Revenue Service and inaugurated by His Excellency, Senator Dr Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, the immediate past Governor of Delta State, on the 30th of September, 2015, and my mandate was renewed on November 25, 2019 after the expiration of the first tenure of four years.
However, due to my nomination as the Deputy Governorship candidate under the umbrella of my political party, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), I formally resigned from my position as the Executive Chairman of the Delta State Internal Revenue Service in compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022. The election was keenly contested and, by the grace of God and the support of the electorate, my party won the election and I stand before you today as the Deputy Governor of Delta State, to the eternal glory of God.
Bearing in mind the period that I served as the Bursar of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) from where I moved to take up appointment as the Chairman of the Delta State Internal Revenue Service, I can comfortably say that it was an interesting experience that I had as the Chairman of the DSIRS, and, of course, as a proud member of the Joint Tax Board. I can recall vividly that I assumed office as the Executive Chairman of the Delta State Internal Revenue Service at the height of the global economic meltdown as a result of drop in oil prices that affected revenue from the Federation Accounts, crisis in the Niger Delta; and the relocation of some multinationals such as Shell Petroleum Development Company, Nigeria Petroleum Development Company, Pan Ocean Oil Corporation, and other oil service companies that sourced for jobs from them. This had adverse effects on the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state. However, the negative IGR was reversed because of measures put in place by a resilient management that was determined to succeed in the face of the daunting challenges being experienced at that time.
Life in office was indeed time and energy-sapping. Apart from your usual work schedules, you had to cater for a lot of interests, both at the local, state, and national levels. There were calls after calls and there were appointments into several committees with meetings after meetings at the state and federal levels. Visits from family and friends were rampant and there were days I was forced to work from home so that I could meet my targets without distractions.
Then, there were demands from my principal, the then state governor about increasing revenue or the need to meet the revenue targets as the internally generated revenue was critical to the successful implementation of his policies, programmes and projects aimed at improving the lives of the citizens of Delta State.
One thing that you must realize as a member of the Joint Tax Board, is that you can build families here or create enemies, depending on how you manage your activities today. In the event of recovering your tax revenue paid to other states erroneously by companies or individuals, due to wrong interpretation of place of residence and or for any other reason(s), please, do more of engagement to reconcile any confronting issues amicably. God teaches us to seek and pursue peace.
Permit me to share one interesting experience that I had with my friend in one of the western states. On that fateful day, I received a letter from a company that resides in Delta State, in which the company claimed that, after the tax audit exercise conducted by the State Internal Revenue Service and the self-conducted on the desk examination, it was discovered that they had wrongly remitted to Delta State over N6 billion for specific periods. Before I received this letter, the Chairman, that is the person in question, was my very good friend, but he never pre-informed me that he was placing a demand of over N6 billion, on my state. Therefore, I called my Technical Team, and we started investigating the issues raised; we requested for supporting documents to substantiate their claims. We were still in the process of ascertaining the validity and accuracy of the refund when the then Secretary to the Joint Tax Board, without fair hearing, sent a letter to my office directing my state to refund N6 billion to that state’s Internal Revenue Service, citing some selected laws. Of course, this position did not go down well with me and my state.
Seriously, how do I walk up to my Governor to request approval to refund N6 billion because the Joint Tax Board directed that we should do that without in-house examination of the claims?
Therefore, I objected to all their letters, expressing my dissatisfaction with the JTB stand; we immediately engaged in rigorous investigation, review of documents and forensic examination of this claim, and, at the end, we presented our findings to the JTB. This gave rise to series of meetings; yes, the situation was tense and well debated at both ends, including the company in question. This issue got to Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT) and again, the JTB requested that we pull out from Tax Appeal Tribunal.
My wonderful members of JTB, this was a case between one state’s IRS and Delta IRS, both members of the JTB. Finally, we were back to resolve the issue amicably through the application of our professional skills with mutual respect for one another, relying on facts, fairness and discipline.
Today, that State’s IRS chairman is still my very good friend and a brother. I thank God that the issue did not cost us our friendship; this is why I plead with you to always be open to applying dialogue, and diplomacy in resolving issues; let the Tax Appeal Tribunal be the last option for us as members of JTB. The JTB should also, investigate properly issues or complaints from members and objectively hear out all parties involved before taking a position and sending out letters; do not take sides or be seen as taking sides for any reason because, we are one family and we work to live as members of one family under the JTB.
Despite these challenges and more that time may not permit me to mention, I can say that I left the Delta State Internal Revenue Service, a happy man because under my watch, the revenue rose consistently and there was no year that we witnessed a drop in the total Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, except for the year 2020 when we experienced the Corona Virus (Covid-19). We increased our state’s IGR by over one hundred per cent, that is, from N40 billion to over N80 billion as at the time I resigned from office in 2022.
A lot of things changed between the time I left office as the Executive Chairman, Delta State Internal Revenue Service and my election and subsequent inauguration as the Deputy Governor of Delta State. As a politician, political considerations now override revenue considerations in my decision ladder. Currently, I do not encourage taxing of tricycles, motorcycles and other petty traders due to the current economic hardship and the fact that the monies derivable from them may not be worth the political backlash.
I thought that my time as the Executive Chairman of the Delta State Internal Revenue Service was time-consuming, but with my present office as the Deputy Governor, I do not have a life of my own anymore. The courtesy visits are endless from individuals, organizations, government functionaries within and outside the state, international agencies, religious bodies, traditional institutions, among numerous others.
Then, there is the conferment of chieftaincy titles which are under my purview and the various disputes arising thereto that I have to contend with. Also, there are inter and intra-state boundary disputes and other security issues that I have to deal with almost on a daily basis. It would seem the higher you rise in the sphere of leadership, the more the challenges you are bound to encounter. Therefore, if life was tough as Executive Chairman of the state’s Internal Revenue Service, it is even tougher as the Deputy Governor.
One critical lesson to take home today is to ensure that you plan and create active and relevant activities when you eventually leave office. As a former Revenue Boss and now Deputy Governor, I still maintain and run my farms and I plan to return to my farms when I leave office. If not for anything, to enjoy fresh foods like fruits and vegetables, enjoy fresh fish as we have been told by nutritionists that meat is not good for you at a certain age; as well as enjoy fresh air and a serene environment. It would also be fun to watch my birds grow. It will interest you to know that as the Deputy Governor of Delta State, I am still a farmer with pride; please, make sure that you are productive after the revenue generation assignment in your states.
As you have assumed office, I want you to bear at the back of your mind that leadership is not just about power and authority; it is equally about responsibility and service – serving your people through increase in revenue generation. This assignment requires prayers, proactive approach, strategic planning and decision making process; you must understand the tax laws to recover and increase the revenue of your states through voluntary compliance, collaboration with relevant federal and state agencies, leverage on automation and digitalization of your processes, good framework for enforcement, robust legal department and the use of artificial intelligence, information sharing, etc. I can confirm that with Joint Tax Board, you will achieve and supersede your revenue targets in your various states.
It is important for the new members of the Joint Tax Board to realize that with honour comes great responsibilities. I therefore, enjoin you to uphold the tenets and legacies of this reputable body which has become a force to reckon with as far as tax administration in the country is concerned. You must also, uphold integrity and shun any act that will tarnish the image of the Board or bring it to disrepute.
No doubt, there will be challenges in the various positions you occupy. However, you must be resolute in your determination to succeed against all odds by bringing your experience to bear on issues regarding the discharge of your duties. You must also show integrity, fairness, equity, transparency, and accountability in the conduct of your affairs, give ears to ideas of other members, unite with them, and strive to find results that profit everyone.
You currently occupy a tenured office and time flies quite fast; so, you will wake up one morning and realize that your time in the office is over. Utilize the time you have to serve because leadership is more about service than power and authority. Do good as much as you can and help others, seek peace always and pursue it as God demands of us; do not allow the office to change who you are. Remember that there is life after the office.
Yes, I am a politician, but I never lobbied to become the Deputy Governor of my state; it was by the grace of God and my principal, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff F.O. Oborevwori, the Governor of Delta State, who deemed me worthy to take up the position that I currently occupy. I enjoin you to put your faith in God as the destiny of every man is in His hands.
It is my prayer that you will record resounding success in your current endeavour, in spite of any challenge you may be facing now. And, by the time you are leaving office, it will be said of you that you were a man of integrity, value, and excellent spirit. I wish you all the best.
Thank you and God bless.
AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY HIS EXCELLENCY, SIR MONDAY ONYEME, FCA, DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF DELTA STATE, AT THE AWARD/DINNER PROGRAMME FOR FORMER MEMBERS OF THE JOINT TAX BOARD (JTB) ON TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2024, AT TRANSCORP HILTON, ABUJA.
