From 28th to 5th: Kwara’s rise in IGR rankings under my watch is no fluke, says ex-Revenue Boss Awodun
A Chief Revenue Consultant and immediate past Executive Chairman of the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS), Prof. Murtala Awodun, has attributed the consistent rise in the state’s Internally Generated Revenue rankings from twenty-eight position to fifth position to the legacies he built during his tenure as the revenue agency boss.
He said the general public deserves enlightenment on state-level performance index parameters of governance across the 36 states.
Awodun, who spoke while featuring as a guest on Sobi FM in Ilorin, was analyzing the 2024 state performance index (PSPI) across the Nigerian states, as published by a global economic and management firm, Phillips Consulting (pcl.).
According to the Phillips Consulting state performance index (PSPI), Kwara has consistently maintained the fifth position in terms of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) per capita, since 2016. This, Awodun said, marked the reforms implemented under his watch as the pioneer executive chairman of the reformed Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS).
“Before 2016, Kwara Internally Generated Revenue was ranked between 27 and 28 position out of the 36 states in Nigeria, but when we came onboard in October 2015, and we commenced the process of reform, before we completed our first year in office, we moved from the rank of number 28 to number 10; that was a quantum jump. From there, we moved to number 9, and we’ve been hovering between 9 and 10 for almost 11 years.
“Whereas when we talked of the Internally Generated Revenue per capita, Kwara has moved to fifth position, consistently over the past eleven years till date. For a layman, when you divide what Kwara has generated in terms of revenue by the number of the citizenry, we call it population, and in economics, it’s called IGR per capita. I think that’s a strength, and Kwara has not dropped from there.”
Professor Awodun, who is also the Chief Revenue Consultant at Treefour Consult, while discussing other parameters of measuring good governance in terms of socio-economic performance as identified by Phillips Consulting, noted that Kwara has significantly progressed in terms of Public teacher availability.
“In terms of Public teacher availability, Kwara has been consistently strong. These are things you can quantify in terms of the employability of teachers and lecturers in our public institutions. Also, in terms of the Honesty of Public servants in Kwara, Phillips Consulting’s report ranked number 36 out of 37. Likewise, in terms of the quality of roads, Kwara ranked 28. When you look at this parameter, it is not only in Ilorin that you will look at; there is going to be consideration of your roads against the landmass that you have.
“In terms of security of lives and properties, Kwara is ranked number 20. In terms of the quality of primary and secondary schools, Kwara is ranked number 21. In terms of the affordability of public hospitals, Kwara is ranked 26. In terms of awareness of government policies and programmes, Kwara is ranked 27. Government support for local businesses in Kwara is ranked 27. Affordability of safe public transport, Kwara is ranked 27.”
The professor of business and entrepreneurship, meanwhile, charged the Kwara state government to address and improve the state’s performance index of governance in terms of the parameters and assessment reports by the Phillips consulting, adding that no government should shy away from prioritizing good governance.
