The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the state government have been enmeshed in a war of words over the state’s Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, performance in the last three months under Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration.

Ekwutosblog reports that while the PDP alleged that the state’s monthly IGR has drastically declined compared to the performance of the immediate past administration, the Edo State government says otherwise.

At a press conference on Monday, the state chairman of the PDP caretaker committee, Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi, alleged that the state has continued to experience a massive decline in IGR under the Okpebholo administration.

Aziegbemi noted that in October 2024, during the final days of the Obaseki government, Edo’s monthly IGR stood at approximately N8 billion.

He stated that under Okpebholo, the state is now struggling with barely N3 billion monthly.

He, however, attributed the decline to the activities of non-state actors allegedly employed by the state governor as a reward for their role in the election that brought him into office.

The state PDP chairman also alleged that in February alone, the state lost N1.3 billion in revenue.

According to the recently released IGR report for February, revenue plummeted from N4.7 billion in January to N3.4 billion in February.

“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 alleged.

Reacting to the PDP’s allegations, Fred Itua, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, said 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.

On its part, the management of the Edo State Internal Revenue Service, EIRS, in a statement, denied the allegations.

A statement issued by Courage Eboigbe, Head of Corporate Communications at EIRS, refuted a report by Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor, the immediate past Commissioner for Digital Economy, Science, and Technology, on the alleged decline in IGR.

Eboigbe noted that the Revenue Service has attained and is sustaining an average of N10 billion monthly to date.

The statement, titled “Edo State Internal Revenue Service Sets the Record Straight on Revenue Claims,” asserted that the IGR report for February was very impressive, standing at over N9.5 billion— a figure that he alleged was never attained by the immediate past 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.