Today, it is generally accepted by all that the appointment of this taxation czar, Mrs. Mimi Orubibi as the chairman of the Benue State Board of Internal Revenue Service, BIRS, is one that is well deserved because she is a round peg in a round hole. The appointee is an elegant and passionate woman who is known to be always ready to implement the mandate and vision of her recruiter, Dr. Samuel Ortom, the executive governor of the state.
The vision and mandate of the governor on taxation and internal revenue for the state is clear to ramp up internal revenue for the state so as to reduce the state over dependency on federal allocations.
It is generally believed she can execute the mandate of the governor because they say history is replete with examples because in her first tenure as the BIRS boss, she implemented series of bold, articulated, precise and targeted tax reforms that have fastly redefined the structure of tax regime and administration in the state while remarkably raising the prospects for enhanced revenue generations for the state.
This is a woman who totally believes that Benue state has the potentials of funding its budgets from the internal revenue generation but it is regrettable, the state has over the years operated a broken, lax and ineffective internal revenue systems that has contributed less than 10percent to its annual budgets. Years of easier oil money with a succession of wasteful and visionless leadership before now that lacked innovations and creativity that did little to deepen and strengthened the state tax administration systems and this is about to change with the appointment of Mrs. Mimi Adzape Orubibi.
We applaud the governor, who is the chief leadership recruiter of the state, for this appointments because the consequences of the years of waste, lack of planning for the future has come to haunt the state and the Ortom regime with no savings from that golden era of oil prices, burdened by a choking inherited debt profile of over 90billion. The state has found itself in an acutely strained financial situation where it is battling to meet recurrent expenditure, talk less of embarking on developmental projects.
This amazon, the governor believes will change the tide for the state.
Although the challenges remain and will take time to clear, Mrs Mimi Orubibi is well determined to transform the state from potential to reality, the capacity of the state’s tax administration to contribute significantly to the revenue profile of Benue state by showing in her actions clarity of vision, a good understanding of what needs to be done and approaching her mandate with passion and commitments.
The state governor, Dr Samuel Ortom made this important appointment because the state needed a solution to the topic of value creation through taxation as it is central to the present digital taxation debates. She was simply re-appointed to increase the states taxation and revenue capacity and it is believed that she is well equipped intellectually and mentally for this important challenge.
This appointment of Mrs Mimi Orubibi as the new czar of the BIRS is a significant shift from the past and this must be acknowledged, where those deserving of critical appointments are pushed aside and those with questions over their suitability for the job are appointed.
Thanks to governor Ortom for moving the state pragmatically and systematically forward by building and energizing the state institutions with capable leadership. This appointment applauded by many as deserving marks also a shift in authoritarian aggression as shown by the patriotic and capable leadership of the state governor.
Mrs. Orubibi in her first tenure emphasized the importance of coming up with digital taxation solution that works for the state, its people and everybody including its business and she must be reminded the time for its implementation is now because it is expected that her second coming will be an era of improvements in Benue state internal revenue generation.
This is because she is known as an apostle of value creation, indirect tax, transfer pricing and a tenure of taxation solutions that works for everybody.
Congratulations Mrs Mimi Adzakpe Orubibi as it is well deserved and Benue state best foot forward.
– Musa Wada writes from Abuja.
