The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has threatened to take over all offices belonging to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in the State if they continue to bully the region.
“All these bullying (by) FIRS. They should mind the state they are bullying. FIRS should be very careful. You don’t bully state like us…I have the political will to do a lot of things. I am not one of those governors that will shy away. If they continue to bully us, all their offices in the state, I will take,”.
Wike said this on Wednesday, September 8, while addressing business owners at a stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The governor who stated that he cannot continue to beg the Federal Government for what belongs to his state, revealed that Rivers State generated N15bn in June 2021 but got N4.7bn while “Kano produced N2.8bn in June but Kano also got N2.8bn.
He therefore warned the FIRS to desist from “bullying” the state with federal might or risk having their offices sealed off.
He charged business owners to pay their tax as at when due to the State government, adding that
‘I will seal off your premises if you continue paying VAT to FIRS’.
“I overhead the FIRS chairman saying that he will show me the powers of the Federal Government that the Federal Government will muzzle the judiciary. It is not my business. The court has decided”.
“From this September, we will start collecting our VAT.
“We will not look back but seal up the premises of such companies”.
Governor Wike also warned the Nigeria Police Force against enforcing the collection of VAT in the State as they would use the state-created security outfit backed by the law.
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