LIRS workshop on councils’ revenue collection holds tomorrow

Stakeholders in the revenue collection system of the state, local
governments and local council development areas of Lagos State will
gather at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos tomorrow to explore how
to make revenue collectors more professional in handling their
functions.
The workshop is sponsored by the Lagos Internal Revenue Service to
increase the capacity of local revenue collection organs by adopting
best practices and learning from the experience of the state revenue
agency.
LIRS chairman Mr. Ayo Subair, is expected to declare the workshop open
and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government & Community
Affairs, Hon. Robert Kayode, will address the participants.
Also billed to address the workshop are the chairman of the Lagos State
Local Government Service Commission, Hon. Kamal Baiyewu, former
secretary of the LIRS board, Mr. Bicci Alli, chairman of Conference of
57 chairmen of local councils, Hon. Kolade Alabi and the Permanent
Secretary, Local Government, Establishment, Training & Pensions,
Mrs.Kikelomo Bolarinwa.
The representatives of council managers, treasurers, human resources
officers and chairmen of local government revenue committees from the
five divisions of the state will share their experiences on how
professionalizing the revenue collection function will help council
raise more revenue.
A statement by Korki & Associates, the workshop facilitators, said it
will discuss the increasing need for the set of skills needed to
efficiently organise and execute the revenue collection functions at the
lowest tier of government to boost revenue urgently needed to deliver
the dividends of democracy to the people.
Lead Consultant at Korki & Associates, Kehinde Bamigbetan commended the
LIRS for its exemplary demonstration of leadership and commitment to
raise the bar of revenue collection to the standards attained at the
state level.
He said if many state governments could benefit from the business model
and efficient management of revenue collection of the LIRS, the local
governments needed to take advantage of its expertise to grow their
revenue.