In a sane clime, financial probity, accountability and fiscal prudence is key to good governance and resources utilisation. The operators of government machinery in such a civilized society would always exhibit an honest trait of prudent management of resources whilst discharging their statutory duties.
Such society fashions out a governing creed that must necessarily suit the whims and caprices of a maxim of prudence that can radically provokes critical evaluation of finances and how they are expended for social security nets of the citizens, and for the overall development of the state. So, the citizens would always want to evaluate and probe how much is accrued to their state and how it is used for recurrent and capital expenditures. Finally, they would also want to know what the government is using the taxpayers money for.
In addition, it is important to checkmate government and its officials in the critical area of financial management and query their expenses for probity and accountability. Be that as it may, the prolonged unfulfilled desire for change that we have been longing for in Kogi state cannot be achieved by a sudden flight. All hands must be on deck to instigate a process for change and challenge those in the position of authority by telling them to do what is right. This is very necessary because it will help us to speak truth to power and further express our discontent and dissatisfaction where necessary for the overall development of our dear state.
However, when the current Chairman of Kogi Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS) Alhaji Sule Salihu Enehe, assumed office in 2023, there was high expectation from the staff of the organisation and the general public that he would come and fix the problems because he was part of those who created them having served under Alhaji Yakubu Oseni as one of the Directors. He rather compounded them, and victimized some staff of the service and sacked them unjustly over trivial offences.
To further expose his cruelty and high-handedness, he has sacked more than 15 staff of the service for pardonable offences. He started with Isah Tajudeen and one Sadiq Hameed and others. The most recent victimization was the sack of Mr. Ilyasu Ibrahim over twenty five thousand naira (N25,000.00) amidst complaints of mass redeployment of staff with two hundred thousand naira (N200,000.00) for house rent and logistics arrangement in this harsh economy. In fact, the deployment grossly violates the etiquette of the service, and we frowned at his callousness and ruthlessness in handling sensitive issues, and that has undoubtedly put his integrity to question and the office he occupied.
During the investigation, we spoke with some staff of the service, and they confirmed to us that Alhaji Sule Salihu Enehe, often acted like a Trojan-horse while discharging his official responsibility. They accused him of employing the antics and tactics of a cunny and corrupt public servant who uses one sincere and honest move to cover dozens of dishonest ones. He covertly fraternizes with his management team to organize purported trainings and workshops which do not improve productivity or career progression of the staff rather than looting of taxpayers money.
Again, we reliably gathered that the chairman had illegally acquired some estates in Abuja, and properties worth millions of naira while misappropriating taxpayers money through local and international trips. The most recent of such trips was the one he made to Brazil with his talisman whom many have described as a de-facto Chairman of the service. Investigation revealed that the state revenue generation capacity which has hit N3 billion is under reported. The state would have generated more than what it is currently generating if the multiple accounts operated by the service are pruned to a single treasury account.
To substantiate those claims, high network taxpayers are mandated to pay directly to some proxy accounts owned and managed by him and his cronies. These criminally transactions are largely facilitated by some Directors within the service and some individuals masquerading as Consultants. More deceptively, during the ‘Stewardship Forum’ organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kogi State Council, he claimed that he has changed the narrative which we believed that such public outing was tailored to sway the public opinion and conceal his monthly pattern of looting of taxpayers money.
We also interrogated some staff in Account/Audit unit of the service and they confided in us that Alhaji Sule Salihu Enehe, unilaterally controls this critical component of of the organisation to further facilitate his satanically machinated act of looting the taxpayers money by constantly changing office furniture and other equipment to benefit his cronies. Therefore, we urge the administration of Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo to employ the service of External Auditors to carry out a holistic audit of the monthly revenue generation, the 10 percent deductions and other expenditures. This will unarguably guarantees financial probity, transparency and accountability of the service.
We believe strongly that the Kogi State Government will do the needful and follow strictly, the bold steps of Bello’s administration which sacked the then Executive Chairman of the service, Inda Salami Aliyu for financial misappropriation. Consequently, the Interim Management team that Governor Yahaya Bello constituted later revealed some vital information about the service in terms of generations and other related issues. We urge Governor Ododo to do the same and ask the Chairman to step aside so that his covert activities at the service can be investigated, place an embargo on multiple accounts and thus, mandate the service to operate a single treasury account.
By Kogi Watchdogs.