Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has inaugurated a 9-man Enugu state tax review committee to carry out a comprehensive review of tax policies, rates, levies, and fees under the control of the state.
According to government, the committee, which has two weeks to carry out its assignment, would benchmark Enugu State’s revenue practices against Lagos, Abuja, and other South East states as they relate to Land Use Charge, Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) fees, market levies and stall rents, business premises registration, signage and advertisement fees, among others, and recommend reforms to improve compliance, fairness, transparency, and revenue efficiency.
The SSG inaugurating the committee on behalf of the state Governor, Dr Peter Mbah
The 9-man committee, which has the Solicitor-General of Enugu State, Ikechukwu Ezenwukwa, as Chairman, and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Revenue Mobilisation, Adenike Okebu, has members drawn from interest groups, government, organised labour, and the civil society.
They are the Chairman, Trade Union Congress, Enugu State chapter, Comrade Ben Asogwa; Chairman of State Market Association, Chief Chinwuba Igwesi; Head of Legal, Enugu State Inland Revenue Service, Ngozi Ezema; Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Markets, Chief Chinedu Mbah; 1st Deputy President, Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, ECCIMA, Engr. Nnanyelugo Onyemelukwe; Deputy Council Chairman and representative of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, Enugu State, Hon. Paul Okwo; and representative of the civil society, Barr. Crownwell Chibuzo.
Inaugurating the committee at Government House, Enugu, on Friday, Governor Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said that the committee was initiated in response to various public complaints relating to taxes and state-controlled revenue heads.
He added that the committee’s terms of reference include to: “review existing harmonisation/consolidation laws and other revenue-related laws in Enugu State; review the implementation of such laws and their impact; identify and evaluate all revenue heads under the control of Enugu State (excluding federally administered taxes like VAT and Stamp Duties); identify all areas of duplication and multiple taxation across the state, including the local government; examine the impact of the expansion of the tax bracket and issues of a culture of non-tax payment; and assess the fairness, transparency, and efficiency of current tax rates and collection processes in Enugu.”
He directed the committee to ensure proper stakeholder engagement by conducting surveys and interviews with property owners, market traders, local government revenue officers, local government chairmen, civil society organisations, and business owners, among others.
Some of the committee members
Providing more insights into the state’s revenue mobilisation reforms, the governor said his administration, upon assumption of office, took determined steps to move revenue collection from “a fragmented silos model to a unified, data-driven, and performance-oriented revenue ecosystem.”
“One of the most decisive reforms we undertook was the complete stoppage of cash collection across all MDAs. This was not merely a procedural change. It was a philosophical shift toward transparency and traceability.
“Today in Enugu State, all payments are now routed through digital platforms, ensuring real-time monitoring and eliminating leakages. This move has drastically reduced opportunities for fraud and enhanced public confidence in our systems.
“To drive accountability, we introduced a Performance Appraisal Framework for all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, as each Ministry, Department and Agency, MDA, is now assigned clear revenue targets linked to their operational mandates,” he stated.
Mbah also explained that the government had built the faith of the people by ensuring that every revenue collected was deployed to their service.
Governor Mbah ‘s representative, Prof Chidiebere Onyia, the Secretary to the State Government.
“Revenue is not just a fiscal tool. It is a moral obligation. Every naira we collect must translate into better schools, safer roads, cleaner water, and a brighter future because our vision for Enugu State is bold and transformative, rooted in the unwavering principles of transparency, traceability, and accountability,” he said
In a remark, the chairman of the Committee, Ikechukwu Ezenwukwa thanked Governor Mbah for appointing them to serve . He said setting up the committee further underscored the governor’s place as a listening leader, who cared about the concerns of the people.
The chairman promised that the committee will do a thorough job and hope that at the end of the exercise, they will submit their reports in two weeks and would advise the state government based on their findings. He assured that the state government will look at their report and work with it and at the end ,everybody will be happy.
Chairman of the committee Solicitor-General of Enugu State ,Ezenwukwa
He assured that members would justify the confidence reposed in them.
A member of the Committee and chairman of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, Enugu State Council, Comrade Ben Asogwa, said taxation is a civic responsibility.
“When we talk about taxation, it’s a civic responsibility.Every union is meant to pay tax.Why many people are crying is because of so many factors. In the first place, when you look at the economic situation in the country and the level of taxation, sometimes you see some people complaining of multiple taxation.Some do not even understand what they are really paying for. You know, they say that information is power.
“So if you don’t have the right information and somebody is just coming to tell you to pay, you will see it as wickedness or exploitation. So some people really need the right information on why they are paying.
“When you also look at it from the perspective of government,government is also bringing up most of those laws that exist on taxation to bear.And when you are doing that, it tells on citizens.So we must have to strike a balance.
“So when you look at what the citizens are complaining of, it’s sort of the level of hardship, economic hardship in the country, and the impact of a lot of taxes.For instance, you pay the one for maybe business premises, pay for this, pay for that, and we are not really covering the issue of consolidating tax .
Comrade Aso
“When we consolidate all these taxes, it will help payers to pay at one shot. Or if it’s going to be regimented, at least , you will know that if I pay this particular amount, I’ve paid tax, and no other group of people or government agency will be coming to me for taxes. And so when we look at it, if we are able to consolidate and also pass the right information, and also do it in such a way that it will be easy for citizens, I think it will help in the end,” Asogwa said.
Speaking on the setting up of the Committee, the Trade Union Congress chairman said, “considering the action of His Excellency, the Governor by setting up a committee today to review the taxation issues and what it entails, that is a kind of evidence of public-orientated leadership, where you look at the masses and consider their plight and their complaints.
The Committee members
“So, when a leader in the status of a governor has the ability to lower his ears, to hear what the people he is leading are saying, that shows that he’s concentrating. So , I really applaud him for deeming it necessary to set -up this committee,which will at the end of the day give him the right information concerning taxation, how it affects the people, even marry it together with the law, and actually advise the governor properly on what to do. And I trust that his usual approach to things is going to do justice to the taxation issue in Enugu State..
On his part, another member of the Committee and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Market , Dr. Chinedu Mbah, also thanked Governor Mbah for setting up the Committee. He said the report , when submitted, will assist the state government in decision making.
SSA on Market, Dr Chinedu Mbah
He urged the people and residents of Enugu state to exercise patience, expressing the hope that the state government will address the issues regarding tax payments in the state.
