Ogun Generates N474 million In 10 Months – Commissioner

The Ogun Ministry of Commerce and Industry generated N474 million revenue between January and October, Mr Bimbo Ashiru, its commissioner has said.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)  reports Monday that Ashiru spoke while defending the 2017 budget proposal of the ministry before the Ogun House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation in Abeokuta.

He said N436 million was realised from road haulage, N27.4 million from registration of business premises, while N11.2 million came from inspection fees.

The commissioner said that the ministry would meet its revenue target and generate more to the coffers of the state if the ministry was provided with necessary logistics.

“If we have the necessary requirements, facilities given to us, we will drive our internally generated revenue.

“The issue of blocking loopholes is not the problem, but the ability to monitor. There are lots of people doing illegal dredging, so, we need vehicles and police to assist us.

“If we have necessary resources, we will be fine because we have capable hands. We have about 38 geologists who are located in different zones; they are ready to do the work,”Ashiru said.

He said that the ministry had earmarked the sum of N700 million as capital expenditure, while N300 million would be for recurrent in 2017.

Ashiru said that the ministry was proposing to generate the sum of N3 billion revenue in 2017 fiscal year.

“We will facilitate provision of technical and industrial services to artisans, craftsmen and also promote production of quality exportable garments along with apprenticeship skill acquisition to alleviate poverty.

“The ministry will effectively expose potential investors and entrepreneurs to various raw materials available in the state,” he said.

Mr Olawale Alausa, the Minority Leader in the House of Assembly, urged the ministry to improve on its internally generated revenue, saying that there was need to block all leakages affecting the revenue collection.