Any revenue agent caught violating motorists, smoking cigarettes, hard drugs will be prosecuted, Anambra firm

By Okechukwu Onuegbu
Awka

An Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) firm in Anambra State, Bigly Oil and Gas, has said it would not hesitate to handover any of their staff to law enforcement agents if caught using violence against motorists or smoking hard drugs and substance, including cigarettes on duty.

The project manager, Bigly Oil and Gas, Mr Chukwuma Nwabuikwu Michael, who disclosed in a press conference in Awka, the State capital, added that their staff known as revenue field officers, were equally barred from engaging on corrupt and sharp practices with a view to improve the State revenue generation in civic and responsible manner as envisaged by governor Chukwuma Soludo’s adminstration.

According to Nwabuikwu, the firm which was accredited by the Anambra State government to collect haulage taxes from trucks on transits and trucks conveying goods to markets and remit same to the State government purse electronically, was committed to block or prevent revenue leakages, remove touts (agberos) from streets and employ more youth for effective and efficient revenue collections.

He said they have recruited over 300 former touts, train and reintegrate them into the revenue collection, even as they have employed various rules, including banking data of revenue officers, kitting and security so as to prevent people from faking or damaging the image of the firm.

The project manager therefore assured the public that his firm would not renegade of their promises to support the government efforts to block revenue leakages or harass tax payers, even as he charged them to report any of their staff caught violating the rules or persons masquerading as them to the firm or law enforcement agents for proper action to be taken.

“We are working with Anambra State Internal Revenue Service (AiRS) to collect haulage revenues, help improves the State revenue, stop agberos (touts), and block revenue leakages. We are committed to this service since we started operation on 26 September, 2023. We have recruited over 300 youth to join the system, train them and empower them to work efficiently, with their complete data available to the security and other relevant authorities.

“Our rule of engagement handed over to them is to observe international best practices. If you engage on hard drugs, smoke hemp or even take cigarettes or alcoholic drinks while on duty, we will dismiss and hand you over to the law enforcement agents. We will also dismiss and ensure prosecution of any of our staff caught in sharp practices or corruption. We warned our members against using violence or abuses on motorists too, ” he added.