…as Governor Oyebanji Lauds EKIRS Over Increase in IGR
Precious Oham
Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service, EKIRS, has launched another innovative platform tag *5229# to generate revenue in the State.
The *5229# USSD Payment System also known as ‘Irorun de’ was launched and unveiled by the Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti.
Governor Oyebanji, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Habibat Omolara Adubiaro said the innovative initiative is aimed at making tax payments seamless by citizens of the State.
While commending the Chairman of EKIRS and his team for their efforts towards the increase in IGR of the State, he said the platform would revolutionize tax payments.
Oyebanji added that since the inception of his administration, they have not introduce new taxes rather but focus on how to enhance its efficiency and collections to eliminate leakages.
His words: “It is my pleasure to be here today to launch an innovative initiative that is aimed at making tax payments as simple as ABC for our people. Today’s event is another eloquent testimony to our relentless commitment to make live better for our people and enhancing financial capabilities of our state without causing inconveniences to Ekiti State people.
“I must commend the Chairman of EKIRS for the great work he and his team are doing. It is to his credit that the monthly Internal Generated Revenue profile of the State has taken a dow surge from about N600m to over N1.3b. I therefore want to commend him and his team for his achievements so far.
“Since the inception of my administration, we have not introduced any new taxes, instead we are focused on enhancing the efficiency of collections and implementing technology to automate our processes and eliminate leakages.
“Today, I am pleased to announce another initiative to make it easier for everyone to pay to Ekiti State government. We are proud to introduce ‘irorun de’, a cutting-edge system that will revolutionize the way we pay taxes. It is certificated that this innovation will significantly boost our IGR and make collection easy, cheaper and convenient.”
Earlier in his welcome address, Ekiti State Commissioner for Budget, Economic Planning and Performance Management, Niyi Adebayo said the event signifies another milestone in the government of the State.
He charged residents of the State to take advantage of the convenience the platform affords saying that it is a laudable innovation.
Introducing the features and capabilities of the product, CEO of LSSBI Advisory, Oladipo Ishola explained that using the USSD *5229# will unlock improved revenue collection.
According to him, “what this does is that you don’t have to travel long distances as regards your tax remittance.
“Taxpayers will be able to use the same features as available on the USSD string. This will be Agent Processed and not self-service like the USSD string. You can walk up to the open agent that is closer to you to process your tax easily.
“You have the minimum of 19 different banks you can use. This USSD code is available anywhere in Nigeria and it is only unique to Ekiti State. One of the most beautiful thing is that you can see your tax history using the USSD code.”