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Kano partners FRSC to improve revenue

By Abba Anwar, Kano
18 August 2015   |   5:07 am
IN an effort to improve internally generated revenue (IGR) in Kano, the state government and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) have launched a project tagged “Maximising IGR from Driver’s Licence and Number Plate Scheme.”
Kano State Governor, Ganduje

Kano State Governor, Ganduje

Agency on seeds control raids markets 

IN an effort to improve internally generated revenue (IGR) in Kano, the state government and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) have launched a project tagged “Maximising IGR from Driver’s Licence and Number Plate Scheme.”

Launching the scheme, the Corp Marshall, Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi, said there was a need for the state to maximize its IGR through the issuance of more plate numbers.

Oyeyemi regretted that Kano State is ranked 19th in the area of revenue generated from the driver’s license scheme between 2011 to 2015, adding that the state generated only N75 million from driver’s license during this period.

He added that this figure was four percent of the total revenue generated during this period and stated the need for the state to maximise its internally generated revenue in this direction. “Lagos State has 27 capture stations and Kano has only seven despite the populous nature of the state.

That means the state is not maximizing the IGR in terms of driver’s licence scheme. “Though Rivers and Oyo states also have seven stations but their IGR (from drivers licence) is five times than that of Kano.

Anambra State has only four stations but the revenue generated is three times the revenue of Kano,” Oyeyemi disclosed. He stated the need to organise training for tankers, trailers and truck drivers, noting that 75 percent of them do not have valid driver’s licence. “Most of them are from Kano and Borno axis.

That means the state needs to really work on this,” he stated. He added that the situation is better with revenue generated through number plates within 2011 to 2015, adding that Kano generated N5.3 billion and is ranked fourth. He said FRSC would partner with the state government to get more capture stations.

The state governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje welcomed the new scheme by FRSC, pledging that his administration would use the opportunity to improve the state’s revenue. “We have just put in place a committee to look into areas of how the state could maximize its internally generated revenue with a professor of taxation, the Commissioner for Finance, Prof. Kabiru Isah Dandago as chairman,” Ganduje revealed. “We have a plan to start collecting revenue for fixed properties.

This is why we have started house numbering and streets naming. “We are also planning to construct weigh bridges, and from there we collect revenue and arrest those carrying above their legally accepted loads,” he stated.

Meanwhile, worried by the distribution of fake and adulterated seeds in Nigerian markets, the National Agricultural Seeds Council has embarked on raids of such markets, with a visit to Sabon Gari market, Kano.

According to the Deputy Director for Quality Control of the Council, Mr. Agboola Adebayo, the body embarked on the patrol in an effort to ensure that seeds that get to farmers were of good quality, and also ensure that operators obey the standard rules and regulations governing the industry. “We need to check this before it gets out of hand.

We are empowered to take legal action against individuals or organisations who flout these rules. And the punishment can be six months imprisonment or N500,000 fine, depending on the gravity of the offence,” he warned.

During the operation at Sabon Gari Market 11 bags of white OPV maize seeds (22kg), eight bags or FARO 44 rice seeds (16kg) and five bags of NOTORE maize variety seeds (10kg) were seized.

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