Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State governor has threatened to confiscate all offices of the Federal Inland Revenue Service in the state if the agency does not stop its act of bullying.
The governor said he cannot continue to beg the Federal Government for what belongs to his state, warned the FIRS to desist from bullying the state with federal might.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting with business owners in the state on Wednesday, he told the oil firms, construction companies and other business owners operating in the state to start remitting their Value Added Tax to the state government beginning this September.
Wike lamented the injustice in the country saying Rivers generated N15bn in June 2021 but got N4.7bn while “Kano produced N2.8bn in June but Kano also got N2.8bn.
“Have you seen the injustice in this country? I would not be Governor forever, it’s not about me but about the system.
“Sometimes you don’t want to believe these things exist, he said”.
“We filed the Value Added Tax (VAT) collection action against FIRS and the Office of the Attorney General representing the Federal Government in 2020.
“In July 2021 the Chairman of FIRS wrote to the National Assembly through the Office of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives to amend the Constitution and empowered the Federal Government to collect VAT. They knew what they were doing was unconstitutional that’s why they wrote for the constitution to be amended to Include VAT in the exclusive legislative list.
“This was exactly what we were challenging in Court so they tried to include it through the back door. Corruption is not only about people collecting money, corruption is also doing things illegally.
“I overhead the FIRS chairman saying that he will show me the powers of the Federal Government that the Federal Government will muzzle the judiciary. It is not my business. The court has decided,” the governor said.
“All these bullying (by) FIRS. They should mind the state they are bullying. FIRS should be very careful. You don’t bully states like us…I have the political will to do a lot of things. I am not one of those governors that will shy away. If they continue to bully us, all their offices in the state, I will take,” he stated.
Wike also warned the oil companies and business owners not to remit their VAT to FIRS but the Rivers State Government.
He said: “I will seal off your premises if you continue paying VAT to FIRS”
“From this September, we will start collecting our VAT, we will not look back but seal up the premises of companies who fail to comply with the new directive”.
