Over five thousand companies and individuals spread across ten ministries departments and agencies MDAs are owing the Federal Government five point two trillion naira.
This debt came to the spotlight from data aggregated from ongoing debt aggregation efforts from over five thousand debtors across ten ministries departments and agencies by the Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning.
Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning Malam Aliyu Ahmed stated this at the zonal sensitisation workshop on Federal Government Debt Recovery Drive Through Project Lighthouse Programme held in Minna Niger state.
Represented by the Director Special Projects Mr Victor Omata the Permanent Secretary explained that the lighthouse initiative which was initiated by the ministry has enabled the aggregation of relevant economic and financial information from multiple agencies who hitherto did not share data.
Malam Aliyu Ahmed further said all the recoveries made during the ongoing debt recovery effort of the Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning goes to the Federal Inland Revenue Service FIRS for prompt action.
According to him revenue loopholes have been aided by poor information sharing and enforcement those the need for this workshop to sensitise and educate participants on better ways of addressing tax evasion by companies and individuals for the growth of Nigeria.
Declaring the workshops opened Niger state Goveror Alh Abubakar Sani Bello described the initiative by the Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning as apt timely and appropriate.
Represented by Secretary to Niger State Government Ahmed Ibrahim Matane the Governor frowned at way and manner individuals and companies sometimes deliberately refused to pay taxes to relevant goverrnment bodies and assured the Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning of his government’s continued support at all times to succeed.
The workshop which was more of an interactive one saw the presentation of various papers such as Public Finance Sustainability among others by many resource persons.
Cov Aliyu Lawal.