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Oborevwori endorses SERAP’s report on Niger Delta
Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has endorsed the report of the Socio-Economic Rights And Accountability Project (SERAP) which called for a review of the Niger Delta Development plan to determine its successes, failures and areas for improvement among other recommendations.
Governor Oborevwori said the report should be adopted by the Niger Delta state governments, the Federal Government and all development partners.
Oborevwori spoke in Lagos on Wednesday in a message at an interactive session and press briefing by SERAP on promoting transparency and accountability in the use of public funds in Nigeria with focus on the Niger Delta.
Represented by his Senior Policy Adviser, Rt. Hon. Funkekeme Solomon, the governor noted that the research revealed the extensive social, economic, and environmental degeneration which to a large extent affected the lifestyle and well-being of the people of Niger Delta.
He called for the establishment of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), guidelines that are binding on oil and gas companies; enforcement of civil and criminal liability for any party that fails to fulfill its obligations or that is found complicit in corrupt practices in relation to community development projects.
According to the report, the federal and state governments in the Niger Delta lack an effective governance and feedback framework to promote integration between regulators, companies and communities.
As a result, there is deficiency in information about oil and gas companies, their activities, environmental audits and other relevant information while the mode of public participation is neither distinct nor focused on a defined structure.
Oborevwori said his administration is very conscious of the need to ensure prudence in the management of the State’s resources, bearing in mind the paucity of such resources and their inability to meet Delta’s ever growing needs.
The Governor said: “While we acknowledge the limited resources, we are also conscious of the need to ensure that what is available is efficiently deployed and used in a transparent and accountable way for the benefit of our people”.
“As a government, we shall continue to play a fundamental role in the development and rehabilitation of the host communities in oil producing areas as the state has a statutory institutional instrument – the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC).
“Governance in the Niger Delta should adopt the Principal-Agent format, whereby the citizens are the Principal and the Government is the Agent.
“Consequently, Government as an Agent to the citizens owes them (citizens) a duty of accountability of resources placed in its care. It is in recognition of this fact, that Delta State participated actively in the State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Programme for results (SFTAS) organized by the World Bank.”
Oborevwori said the effect of Delta’s participation in SFTAS and enlistment on “Open Governance Partnership” (OGP) is the recognition of Delta State with four awards, of which Fiscal Transparency and Accountability, as well as Efficiency of Public Expenditures were the main attractions.
“This is a testimony that we are conscious of spending public money in a more credible and efficient way. It is our intention to sustain the gains of the programme to help us build trust in government, enhance the monitoring of fiscal risks and facilitate accountability in public resource management.
“Our administration believes that stronger accountability reduces the opportunities for corruption and misuse of public resources, thereby increasing the efficiency in public expenditures. This will ultimately ensure that there is trust between the citizens and the government”.
Featured
Tax Reform Bill Passage: New Tax Laws, Better Nigeria
By Arabinrin Aderonke
Nigeria must work; this is the vision we have held onto for so long. When the news came that the Senate had passed all four tax reform bills, it was one of those moments you stop and ask yourself, is this really happening? For years, Nigeria’s tax system has been a source of frustration, something we all got used to criticizing. Truthfully, it was not just tax. From electricity to education to healthcare, we have long complained about the failure of government systems.
On top of that, Nigeria remained tied to the unstable global oil market, leaving us with unpredictable revenue and a shrinking ability to fund our future. That is exactly why we must keep believing in the idea of a new Nigeria. And this time, it is not just another round of promises, this is action.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu understood that to truly rebuild Nigeria, we needed a tax system that would create sustainable revenue, spread the burden fairly, and give every Nigerian, rich or poor, north or south, a reason to trust government again. That is what led to the introduction of the tax reform bills in 2024. It has taken months of serious policy work, consultation, and courage. Now, with the National Assembly passing all four bills, the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, the Nigeria Tax Administration (Procedure) Bill 2024, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill 2024, and the Joint Tax Board (Establishment) Bill 2024, we are seeing decisions that could finally loosen Nigeria’s dependence on oil and give states the resources they need to grow.
One of the features is the new VAT sharing formula. Under the proposed structure, 50 percent of Value Added Tax revenue will be shared equally among all states, 20 percent will be distributed based on population, and 30 percent will be distributed according to actual consumption. It is a formula designed to balance fairness with performance, giving each state a stake while also encouraging economic activity and good governance.
The Senate also made it known that the VAT rate will remain at 7.5 percent, resisting pressure to increase it. For Nigerians, that means no new burden added to goods and services. But more importantly, the bills approved also provided for the continued funding of development agencies such as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). These are the institutions that support learning, research, and innovation across the country, and their survival is necessary for the future of the Nigeria we all want.
Another part of the bill is the plan to turn the Federal Inland Revenue Service into the Nigeria Revenue Service (Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill). But this is not just a name change. It is a coordinated effort to build a system that supports states, strengthens local government revenue, and makes tax collection more transparent.
Dr. Zacch Adedeji, Executive Chairman of FIRS, has led the redesign of the agency and introduced many measures aimed at improving tax collection across the country, and even these Tax Reform Bills are one. If anyone has earned respect in this space, it is him. His work shows that reforms are possible when people in charge are ready to do better.
As it stands, all four tax reform bills have been passed, and these laws are now in place. This means Nigeria has completed what many consider the most needed tax reform in years.
The process now moves to the harmonization stage, where both the Senate and House of Representatives will come together to resolve any differences in their versions of the bills. Once they reach an agreement, the bills will be sent to the President for his final approval. After the President signs them into law, they will be published in the official gazette, making them official. From there, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, which will be renamed the Nigeria Revenue Service, will take the lead in implementation. With the capable Tax Boss, Dr. Zacch, we can be sure that the results will exceed expectations.
This is the Renewed Hope Nigerians have been waiting for. The changes are here, these reforms give us the chance to do things right!
Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi is the technical assistant on broadcast media to the executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service
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