By Demi Adeniyi
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 Tuesday, 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 many state governments could benefit from the business model and efficient management of revenue collection of the LIRS adding that local governments needed to take advantage of such expertise to grow their revenue.