September 15, (THEWILL) – The Ebonyi state governor, David Umahi, on Monday stated his support for the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in the ongoing legal tussle over value-added tax (VAT) collection.
The governor added that Ebonyi state will not be joining the issue on the side of Rivers, Lagos, and other states that have taken the federal government to task over VAT collection.
Speaking at a dinner organised in honour of a former Chief of Army Staff and the Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, Ambassador Tukur Buratai, at the Governor’s Lodge, Centenary City, Abakaliki, Umahi said, “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,” he added.
Umahi urged Nigerian leaders to speak up against dissenting voices trying to polarise the nation.
The governor also lauded his administration’s strides, claiming it has outperformed its predecessor in office.
He said, “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 can not 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; it’s not just to be talking and talking. You don’t sit on people’s sweat and resources and be talking nonsense.
“We have no regrets taking our people to the centre. We have always played at the centre. We are not playing party politics, we are playing politics that will be an advantage to our people, criticise me; no problems. But we need resources, we need friendship with the centre.”
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