Gbenro Adesina
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State yesterday came out blunt on his determination to increase Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), without being specific on steps to take to shore up the IGR.
However, there has been palpable tension in the state that soon, the government of Makinde may be considering the introduction of certain unpalatable levies, speculating that he is working on how to subject landlords and tenants into the payment of some ridiculous levies.
Makinde, while address the staff of Ladoke Akintola Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH), said that it has become necessary that his government look for different ways of increasing the state IGR.
He pointed out that it would be very difficult for his administration to pay back the N100 billion private bond (loan) tagged “Oyo Prosperity Bond” the administration took to finance certain capital projects in the state.
He said, “Some people are already abusing me because I want to take N100billion bond but I am not bothered. Some of the things we said we will do with the loan is to fix our health facilities and LAUTECH will benefit from such a bound”.
“How are we going to pay back the loan? A lot of our people are going all over the places on medical tourism. My own father passed on in India. If I have confidence in the healthcare delivery system in Nigeria, I would not have taken my father to India. I spent money to take him to India. So, if LAUTECH will take a share of the medical tourism industry in Nigeria, then the IGR will increase, subvention will come down and we can use part of that money to keep paying those loan. it is very simple.
