From John Adams, Minna

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The Niger state Board of Internal Revenue has dismissed the allegation of an endemic corruption in the board, saying that the allegation was a calculated attempt to distract the board from the ongoing reforms to reposition it for better results.
The Chairman of the Board, Alhaji Mohammed Etsu while reacting to what he called a “faceless petition” of financial recklessness in the revenue board in a press briefing in Minna on Tuesday, said that the petition is not only baseless but a hand work of some few individuals that are not ready to embrace the ongoing reforms, meant to clean up the board.
According to him, “if we must meet our set target in the revenue generation in the state, then we must embark on some painful reforms, we must make some changes from the old ways of doing things and that is what some people are not comfortable with”.
Alhaji Estu disclosed that since he assumed office last year, the board has surpassed it N1billion target because of the reforms that he has been able to introduced, pointing out that “my resolve to wipe out the old ways of doing things in the board is causing me bad blood.
“This reforms that is generating this bad blood must continue because we must move away from relying or depending on only oil revenue. We must change the narratives in the revenue generation in the state”, he added.
“The level of corruption i met when i resumed office as Chairman of the board was enormous, and I decided to introduce some reforms to check this corruptions. When you fight corruption, corruption fights you back, that is what is happening thigh now. My ability to clean up the system is what is bringing these allegations and negative reactions.
“My books are clean and the records are there for anybody to come and check. The revenue system in Niger state does not want change and i am trying to clean up the system. Corruption is huge in the revenue board, there are a lot of good policies that i want to bring in but the staff are grumbling, they do not want these changes.
“The staff of Niger state Revenue Board are against change. They try to sabotage those who are brought into the Board who are not staff of the revenue board and they try their best not to allow them to succeed. They do all they can to stop you from achieving your goal. They involve in gang-ups. The staff do not develop themselves in anyway, and they are ready fight anyone who wants to bring new innovations”, he added.
He explained further that when he resumed as Chairman, he met over 30 consultants who were shortchanging the government but decided to sack all of them, adding that sacking all these consultants increased the gang up against him especially when he brought in qualified hands to handle the revenue of the state.
He therefore maintained that no amount of blackmail that will stop him from implementing the necessary reforms that will give the board a new lease of life for better results, stressing that “the allegations are baseless and hand work of those that are not ready for the ongoing clean up”.