Maduako Ignokwe I Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023
AWKA, Nigeria – The cold war between Chairman Anambra Internal Revenue Services AiRS Dr.Greg Ezeilo and the Executive Director Operations, Dr Christian Madubuko got messier last week when Ezeilo issued a query to Madubuko.
Since the appointment of the duo by governor Charles Soludo last year,there has been a cold war over the operation of revenue generation and revenue profile of the state. They have been accusing each other of misappropriation and highjacking their respective duties.
It was gathered that the former Chairman of the AIRS Dr Richard Maduebo resigned his position last month due to boardroom politics.
At the departure of Madubuko ,their trouble started over the setting up of a new Revenue team known as Unified Hybrid Enforcement Team UBET by Ezilo,which Madubuko described as a change of name from the initial team known as Anambra Joint Enforcement Team ANJET.
According to the executive director, the team is made up of the same alleged touts that were terrorising innocent motorists in the name of collecting revenue. According to the query signed by the Chairman, Ezeilo ordered the executive to relocate to UHBET Centre and conduct his operation there.
He also directed the Executive Director, never to engaged in any field work again except where it becomes extremely necessary to do so.
Our reporter gathered that the chairman gave the query following the operations Madubuko carried on October 4 in Ayamelum, Onitsha North and Ogbaru and arrested staff of the state IGR Partner’s Staff (Bigly Oil and Gas Limited) and others, who were collecting money manually against Soludo’s directive of digital collection.
The Query reads:
“Query—Unauthorised Operations and Unlawful Arrest of Our IGR
Partner’s Staff (Bigly Oil and Gas Limited) and others”
Dear Madubuko,
“I will thank you to pay rapt attention to the following circumstances associated with your person:
” I received a report yesterday, from Mr. Ben Okafor an Executive Director in the
Service, wherein my attention was drawn to the operations you carried out on October 4 and October 5 within the areas of Ayamelum, Onitsha North and Ogbaru whereof you conducted various arrests involving IGR collection Personnel of one of Authorised Partners—Bigly Oil and Gas Limited. Actions greatly considered inimical to the IGR efforts of the Service and the State in particular.
“You would recall in my last conversations with your shortly after you returned from your oversea trip I took you to the UHBET Centre and conducted you round that facility; showed you your new office location in that Centre, and intimated you that job roles would now change to cover among others, New Business Development, Motor Licensing, Road Taxes and overseeing the UHBET Computer-Based Testing Facility (CBT). Additionally, I informed you that, as an Executive Director, you are NEVER to be engaged in any filed work again except where it becomes extremely necessary to do so”
“. Similarly, arising from my initial memo to all directors, management, and every other staff of AIRS, no such actions involving interacting with any external parties should take place without the authorization of the Chairman.
“In another development, records from the head of admin showed that you are still in custody of three (3) of AIRS vehicles namely 2 Siena buses and 1 truck contrary to our vehicle fleet management policy of one officer – “one vehicle and others to the pool”.
“In the light of the above, can you please take immediate steps to address the following queries”
” You are to provide lucid explanations of your roles in issues in “1” above and why severe disciplinary actions cannot be taken against you”
” Upon satisfactory submission on issues no.1, you should take immediate steps to relocate your office to UHBET Centre as provided and thereof conduct yourself in line with your new job roles”
“Provide reasonable and convincing undertaken that you will never engage with any external parties including AiRS Partners or their agents, the police, civil defense, DSS or the press without express approval of the Chairman”
” Finally, you should take immediate steps to return two (2) of he three (3) vehicles in your custody back to the office and hand over the keys to the head of Admin for effective fleet operations”
When contacted the Executive Director Operations Dr Christian Madubuko declined comment on the query. According to a release earlier from the Department of Operations AiRS the people arrested were those involved in:
“Collection of cash ranging from N15,000 to N100,000 instead of the stipulated 1,000 to 12,000 depending on the vehicle and diverting same to different bank accounts. Evidences of the bank accounts are available, and some of the owners of those accounts are now the sudden concerned Anambra citizens”
” The monies collected are forced out of some people who are already enrolled in Anambra tax net and are already paying their weekly and / or monthly taxes”
“The people arrested have no P.O.S and/or any UHBET or C.R.O. agent working with them being part of the conditions for the government’s partnership with Bigly Oil and Gas Services”
“The people arrested were found with tramadol, mkpurummiri, and other dangerous drugs, which depicts danger to both Transporters and the government. Evidences of these materials are available”
“The people arrested are even giving bad names to the Revenue partner Bigly Oil and Gas in that what they do is completely different from what we think the CEO of the partnering firm asked them to do. We, therefore, urge the CEO of Bigly Oil and Gas Services to embark on personality check of the boys he hires to work with him to avoid involving some bad eggs that are already in the wanted list of security agents which evidences them as real criminals”
“Another set of people arrested by mini truck drivers were found with different tickets with inscriptions of a political party and amounts ranging from N1,000 to N15,000 being monies they forced out from the same drivers already enrolled in the state’s taxnet with the intention to give this administration a bad name”
” Studying the partnership document, it is glaringly clear that all the terms of agreement were completely violated with possibly or probably the full knowledge of the Chairman of the Board, which is the most worrisome part of this imbroglio”
Our job is to boost the revenue base of the state, and we are committed to doing that. That is our clear mandate that must be fearlessly pursued” it stated .
According to the statement, those crying wolves are the very people who are distorting and thwarting every effort geared towards digitalizing the Anambra revenue system.
It added that goal of those people were that the Anambra revenue generation system remain in its analogue form so that they will continue to feed fat on the state resources.
Digitalizing the system will put them out of business, and that is why they found favour with their co-travellers in AiRS to do everything humanly possible in their power to hunt down Dr. Christian Madubuko knowing fully well that only him Madubuko can catch them easily. If not, why are they out to stop the Executive Director Incharge of operations from going to the field” it stated.
But in a swift reaction the Project Manager of Bigly Oil and Gas Mr Chukwuma Nwabuikwu contended that the agents of his company are well trained stating that as part of their terms of reference no member is allowed to drink , smoke or carry any narcotic substances including cigarettes.
He further contended that the 300 touts that were trained for the job passed through inductions with totally identified processes up to their respective Communities with guarantors adding that those arrested were not staff of the company.
