By Oladipo Airenakho
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has set up a modality for the employment of 10,000 persons in the first phase of his 200,000 job creation in fulfillment of his electioneering campaigns promise, according to officials.
Besides, the government says it would establish an electronic platform that will collect revenue by the means of Point of Service (POS) or revenue scratch cards for those who do not have ATM cards.
It was learnt that Governor Godwin Obaseki had directed Heads of Local Government administration in the state to forward names of contractors initially contracted as revenue collectors to government house to jumpstart the job scheme.
A government statement on Friday said the submission of the contractors’ names was in furtherance of its avowed commitment to streamline tax collection in the state
The statement said government’s decision followed Governor Obaseki’s meeting with stakeholders in Government House on Friday.
Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Chairman of Edo State Internal Revenue Service, Chief Oseni Elamah, said the concerned contractors are those previously selected to collect revenue on behalf of the local governments.
Chief Elema disclosed that the concerned contractors were also required to supply the names of their staff, phone numbers and passport photographs respectively adding that, “this is with a view to capturing their details in our employment database.”
Continuing, he said, “in addition to this, the MDs of all those that were engaged as consultants or contractors have also been directed to supply the names of those people that were involved, the staff they used, their numbers and their photographs so that we can consider them for employment under the first 10,000 youths’ employment program that the government is already working on.”
To complete this process, Elamah noted that a portal will be opened where their biometrics would be captured and they will be given first offer under the new program as a result of experience which they must have gained in their previous assignment of manually collecting revenue, which they were given.
He said, “They will undergo training before eventual recruitment will be made”.
The chairman noted that: “under this, we are also working towards eliminating cash as a means of revenue collection.
“We are going to establish an electronic platform that will collect revenue by the means of POS or revenue scratch cards for those who do not have ATM card.
“Under that law, the processes or procedure and time frame for whatever revenue and taxes that have been collected will be clearly stated and publicized,” he said.
