WARRI (Delta) – Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan said, the Delta beyond oil vision was borne out of the desire to reduce dependence on Federally Allocated oil revenue.
Governor, Uduaghan disclosed this in Warri during the commissioning of the Delta Board of Internal Revenue (DBIR) headquarters (Revenue House) in Warri.
Dr. Uduaghan, represented by the State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning, Olorogun Kenneth Okpara, said
“This dream was birthed to reduce dependence on Federally Allocated oil revenue….Our dream for Delta beyond oil started in 2009 with the Delta State consolidated Revenue Law.
“Since I signed the bill into law, I have not looked back in providing the necessary support, to build a strong and virile board to deliver on the mandate of driving internally generated revenue in the state”.
Governor Uduaghan noted that due to its strategic nature, the government deemed it fit to provide   permanent structures for the board zonal offices in all the senatorial districts throughout the state, adding that monthly internally generated revenue, (IGR ) of Delta State, increased by over 550% under the eight -year tenure of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan as Governor.
He commended the staff and management for working assiduously to increase the state internally generated revenue.
Over-dependence on oil revenue had for a long time practically turned Nigeria into a mono cultural economy which has led to fluctuating revenue for the federating states because they depended almost entirely on the monthly allocation from the Federation Account.
He expressed happiness that the overall of the state internally generated revenue machinery by his administration since 2007 had shot the IGR to unprecedented high as much as over 550 percent.
He said that the projected revenue for the current fiscal year (2015) was between 73 billion naira and 75 million naira, saying over N5 billion was being currently generated by the DBIR.
The Governor thanked the Executive Chairman of the DBIR, Hon Joel Onowakpo-Thomas for his commitment to the reformation of the board that has since translated into huge IGR returns as well as the board for publishing two volumes of the book on Delta Beyond Oil, which was reviewed at the ceremony by Mr. Humphrey Bekaren.
While noting that no single administration can fully meet the hopes and aspirations of the people, Joel Onawakpo-Thomas, said government is a continuity which involves every successive regime adding the ‘development building blocks’.
According to him, one of the secrets for the increased IGR was the development of the ICT in the system which enhanced efficiency in the IGR process.
In addition to the Delta Revenue House headquarters located in Warri and an Annexe in Asaba, the zonal offices included those of Warri, Agbor, Ashaka, Burutu, Ozoro, Oleh, Sapele Asaba, Ogwashi-Uku, Issele-Uku, Effurun, Ughelli and Patani, he disclosed.
The highpoint of the ceremony was the book review on sustaining the development of the state beyond oil.
On Uduaghan’s Delta Beyond Oil, Bekeran said, “The intricate connection between the quotation of Walsh above and the electric car cannot be lost to any discerning observer. Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan looked beyond oil today into tomorrow and came up with this vision that fully encapsulate telling elements like ‘option’ ‘explored’ ‘identity’ ‘and share the rationale’ that will save DTS from over-dependence, vagaries, whims and even the ‘curse’ of oil.”