The state government and the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP, have been engaged in a verbal sparring match over the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) performance over the past three months under Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration.
The state chairman of the PDP caretaker committee, Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi, said at a press conference on Monday that the state has continued to experience a massive decline in IGR under the Okpebholo administration, noting that in October 2024, during the last days of the Obaseki administration, Edo’s monthly IGR was approximately N8 billion.
The state PDP chairman also claimed that the state lost N1.3 billion in revenue in February alone, with revenue falling from N4.7 billion in January to N3.4 billion in February, according to the recently released IGR report for February.
He claimed that under Okpebholo, the state is now barely making N3 billion a month, but he blamed the decline on the actions of non-state actors who were allegedly hired by the state governor as a reward for their role in the election that put him in office.
“The level of financial leakage has been massive.”
“These non-state agents, backed by certain political forces, are collecting government revenues and redirecting payments into private bank accounts instead of the state treasury.”
“This leak is largely responsible for why, for the third consecutive month, Okpebholo has failed to redeem his N500 million monthly subvention pledge to the state-owned varsity, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), and meet other obligations. Under Okpebholo’s administration, Edo State has seen nothing but retrogression and gross mismanagement,” he claimed.
Reacting to PDP’s allegations, Fred Itua, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okpebholo, stated that the alleged illegal revenue collection is being addressed through structural reforms in the transport and revenue sectors.
“Unlike previous administrations that tolerated extortion and intimidation of traders, this government is actively working to eliminate multiple taxation and illegal toll collection.”
“To ensure proper enforcement, the state government has engaged Atalakpa Recovery Concept Limited as an enforcement compliance consultant, reinforcing its commitment to transparent and lawful revenue collection,” he stated.
In a statement, the Edo State Internal Revenue Service’s (EIRS) management refuted the claims. A report on the purported drop in IGR by Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor, the immediate past Commissioner for Digital Economy, Science, and Technology, was denied in a statement released by Courage Eboigbe, Head of Corporate Communications at EIRS. According to Eboigbe, the Revenue Service has reached and is maintaining a monthly average of N10 billion thus far.
The statement, headlined “Edo State Internal Revenue Service Sets the Record Straight on Revenue Claims,” said that the IGR report for February was quite spectacular, standing at over N9.5 billion—a figure that he alleged was never obtained by the immediate preceding government.
According to him, “The EIRS firmly dismisses the claim that Edo’s IGR fell from N4.7 billion in January to N3.4 billion in February. This narrative is dubious, deliberately misleading, and dishonest. Our records confirm a stable upward trajectory, which starkly contrasts the narrative put forth.”
“The EIRS denounces the misinformation allegedly spreading unverified figures and insists that the IGR remains on an upward trajectory.”
“The EIRS rejects the notion of separate IGR sources, emphasizing that all government revenue is consolidated into a single figure, irrespective of the revenue stream.”
“The Revenue Service reiterates its commitment to tackling illegal revenue collection by unauthorized individuals while urging the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities by non-state actors.”
“Overall, this statement aims to restore public confidence, reject alleged misinformation, and reaffirm the agency’s professionalism in revenue collection,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor alleged that the state’s revenue decline was documented in the February IGR receipt.
“Remember that the Edo State Government (EDSG) announced an IGR receipt of N10 billion in January—N5.3 billion received from NNPC and its subsidiaries operating in the state, and N4.7 billion IGR. Yesterday, the governor received the report for February, but they refused to announce the report findings.”
“The story is that non-state agents, with the backing of some political forces, are collecting levies and demanding they be paid into private bank accounts,” he alleged
