The Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, has stated that the State is not in support of any State in the country collecting Value Added Tax, VAT, as being clamoured for by the Rivers and Lagos States Governments, adding that, the State under his leadership is in support of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, collecting taxes and sharing, .
Governor Umahi said this when the State Government, on Sunday night, held a State Dinner in honour of the former Chief of Army Staff, COAS, and Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, Ambassador Tukur Buratai.
The State Dinner was held at the Banquet Hall of the Governor’s Lodge, Ocho Udo Centenary City, in Abakaliki, the State capital.
This was made known by Francis Nwaze, the Special Assistant to the Governor, on Media and Publicity.
Speaking on the Sit-At-Home order declared in the region by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Governor Umahi maintained that Ebonyi State as usual would not subscribe to the incessant calls, insisting that any Civil Servant who absents him or herself from work on Monday and Tuesday, would be sanctioned.
His exact words: “Evil will continue to thrive if good people keep quiet, we must make Ebonyi State very exceptional by rising to the challenges. When we shout True Federalism, I say I agree, but it should be administrative restructuring, Ebonyi State is not in support of any State collecting VAT, we are in support that FIRS should continue to collect tax and share.
“We are destroying our economy, the sit-at-home is not happening in South-West, the North is not sitting at home, each time we sit at home, we lose over ten billion naira in our economy, so Ebonyi State will not sit at home any day, so I charge the Commissioners to go all out and ensure that Civil Servants come to work, and for the Markets, I will personally be in the Markets tomorrow, anyone who is no longer interested in owning shops can go home.”
The Governor while urging the Nation’s Leaders to speak up against dissenting voices that are capable of polarising the Nation, said that he is open to debate with any PDP Governor who feels he has delivered more democracy dividends to his citizens than the All Progressives Congress-led administration in Ebonyi State.
He stated: “People are taking special interest in Ebonyi State and her Governor, positively and negatively, but it is very important to be in the news, than for you to say there are 36 States, you will name 35, and say what is the other State, we have aborted it, we are now a State to reckon with, and we have no apologies.
“When I say I have no apologies, you can talk everything about me, but you cannot say we have not delivered, and so when people open their mouths in PDP to talk about APC, they should know that I belong to APC, and if they like, let PDP offer any of their best Governors to come for debate with me, and I will defeat any of them, not to be talking and talking. You do not sit on people’s sweat and resources and be talking nonsense.
“We have no regrets taking our people to the center. We have always played at the center, we are not playing party politics, we are playing politics that will be an advantage to our people; criticize me, no problems, but we need resources, we need friendship with the center.”
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