Mr. Aliyu Inda Salami is the Executive Chairman Kogi State Internal Revenue Service. He is an energetic, self-driven, creative, resourceful, forward-looking professional with an extensive banking experience both locally and internationally.
Mr. Aliyu Inda Salami is an Alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria with Bachelors’ Degree in Economics and MBA from the Lagos State University, Lagos. He also attended the prestigious Lagos Business School, Lagos for Management Development Programme as well as several local and international seminar and training. He is a member, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.
Career wise, he has over 25-year banking experience across three (3) different major banks in Nigeria and Africa at middle and senior management level. He was the Country Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of United Bank for Africa, Republic of Chad, Central Africa up till March, 2018. During his banking-career, he midwifed and executed branch expansion, business development and ensured high returns on investment. He is a turn-around Manager, a transformational Leader; bound by the ambition to achieve business objectives with excellence.
He was appointed as the Executive Chairman, Kogi State Internal Revenue Service in December, 2018 by the Executive Governor of the State Alhaji Yahaya Bello to enhance revenue growth of the State to finance her developmental projects.
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Excerpts
As the Executive Chairman, Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, can you tell us the vision and mission of the Service?
In our bid to properly reposition the Service to meet the State’s vision, we have revised the vision and mission statement as thus:
Our Vision:
To be a Leading Revenue Service in Nigeria in terms of Collection, Creativity and Cost Efficiency
Our Mission:
To Consistently Promote Voluntary Tax Compliance through Innovative Business Technology and Resourceful people Engagement
What are the policies put in place to drive efficiencies across board?
In driving efficiency, we have updated our operating procedure across all our business line, functions and duties. Underlining this, is the redesigning of organizational structure which is a pivotal aspect of the board.
We expand our Area Tax Offices from 9 to 11 by creating two additional. They are:
- Adavi/Okehi Area Tax Office.
- Lokoja II Area Tax Office.
We also created more Directorates viz.
- Other Taxes
- Informal Sector
- Customer Relationship
- Corporate Communications
Consequent upon this restructuring, Staff Retreats were held and action plans were unveiled for strategic executions by all Directorates.
Furthermore in driving efficiency, we have strategically engaged in staff capacity building; tax knowledge improvement for every staff were executed through weekly in-house Trainings, and sometimes, outsourced through external facilitator for refresher courses and on-the-job training.
The Service has also put in place System Automation for all her processes and Enhancement Technology desirable for deepening and widening of taxpayers database to boost the Revenue Collection.
Finally, stakeholders’ engagements and customer relationship are topnotch in our activities. As part of our strategies to elicit compliance and increase the IGR, several key stakeholders’ engagements and advocacy visit are done regularly. We have had critical stakeholders’ meetings with Trade Associations and Unions, Security Agents, Companies, Artisans and Professionals to dialogue on the seamless ways for tax collections. This also includes several advocacy visits to some selected Traditional Rulers and corporate citizens.
Can you share with us some of the business growth strategy put in place by the Service to increase revenue for the State?
As part of our vision to position the Service as the major funding arm of the state government in providing basic infrastructure and maintenance of effective security desirable for socio-economic growth, we designed the four thematic strategies to realize the vision namely:
- Deepening and Widening of Tax base
- Reactivation of Dormant Revenue Items
- Foster mutually beneficial collaboration with MDAs to unlock revenue generation opportunities
- Automation of all our tax processes.
How do we attain this feat?, our policy to deepen and widen tax base includes efficient tax assessment served and bringing in more Taxpayers into the tax net with specific interest in the informal sector of the State; through Tax Education, Effective Customer Services (to respond to complaints/enquiries from Taxpayers), Capturing of Taxpayers through Tax Identification Number, Delineation and Enumeration of business across the State, Blocking Loopholes to increase Collection and Efficient Resources Allocation in areas with high Revenue Opportunities..
All of these activities are been executed within the confines of the enabling law already passed by the State House of Assembly.
We will continue to foster a mutually beneficial relationship among critical stakeholders on effective tax administration in the State as required by Law, interact with relevant MDAs to identify/reactivate dormant revenue items for a renewed drive. We will also create tax stations in some hinterland that are far from our Area Offices for revenue collection and expansive coverage.
How is the State revenue collection growth and improvement under your watch?
The Executive Governor of the State has created a very conducive atmosphere for Kogi State Internal Revenue Service to operate and grow the IGR. This has continued to reflect in the annual growth of IGR in the recent year.
Total IGR as at 30th December, 2019, amounted to ₦16,297,757.81 as against ₦11,334,113,743.58 achieved as at 31st of December, 2018, indicating an increase in our Revenue Generation of about 44%. While we reckon with the fact that we are not there yet, we have made considerable progress and we hope to surpass our revenue target in the coming year.
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What is your relationship with the State Ministries, Agencies and Departments in in the State?
It is part of the Service’s 4-thematic areas to have a strategic collaboration with the State’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). We have had the following collaborations with the MDAs in funding some of their activities. For example:
- We spearheaded the compliance with the State’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) Policy, by providing the platform for the collection of all IGR into the collection of all IGR designated TSA Accounts.
- Ministry of Agriculture: Financial and Staff support in the sensitization payment and production of stencil to brand Jute Bags for Cashew produce to stem counterfeiting.
- Water Board: The Service donated Desktop Computers and a Printer to support the Board’s automation processes and their overall operations.
- Town Planning and Development Board: The Service provided financial assistance to refurbish vehicular assets for enforcement and compliance activities, as well as on media sensitization (Radio, NTA and Prints).
- Ministry of Transportation: Sensitization and funds support for Road Marking and other road furniture (KOTRAMA Take-off Operation).
- Bureau for Lands: Funding collaboration for site and services to open up new layout.
- Kogi State Utility and Infrastructure Management and Compliance Agency (KUIMCA): Collaborative effort to operationalize the agency.
- Kogi State Specialist Hospital: Provision of computers to enhance their service operations in the area of data collection.
We hope to continue further collaboration in the area of capacity building, technical support and other needed logistics.
What is the Revenue projection of Kogi State Internal Revenue Service for 2020?
Our revenue target for 2020 fiscal year is ₦25, 000,000,000.00. We shall be engaging all stakeholders to achieve this set target in the year 2020 and even beyond.
