{"id":12227,"date":"2026-11-08T05:31:31","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T05:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/08\/rivers-state-has-not-taken-any-loans-egbunefu-rirs-chairman-businessday-ng\/"},"modified":"2026-11-08T05:31:31","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T05:31:31","slug":"rivers-state-has-not-taken-any-loans-egbunefu-rirs-chairman-businessday-ng","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/08\/rivers-state-has-not-taken-any-loans-egbunefu-rirs-chairman-businessday-ng\/","title":{"rendered":"Rivers State has not taken any loans – Egbunefu, RIRS Chairman – Businessday NG"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israel Egbunefu<\/strong> is the executive chairman of the Rivers State Internal Revenue Service (RIRS). In this interview with Samuel Ese<\/strong> in Port Harcourt, he explains why Rivers State has not been borrowing for projects like other states, and what the agency is doing to deepen revenue generation. Excerpts:<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

You have been in office for one year and two months. What has your experience been like? What has it been like heading an agency such as this?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Well, for me, the experience has been awesome. I am not new to the system, and the environment is not strange to me. I grew through the system and headed several directorates here as a director before moving on to work at the State Ministry of Budget.\n<\/p>\n

I have been here, so I understand the dynamics of revenue collection. Having been appointed to head this agency, I now have to bring all my experience to bear and continue the reforms we started some time ago when I was a director here.\n<\/p>\n

I had to bring those reforms on board and continue from where I stopped. That made things a lot easier for me. So, it is not a strange environment. I am very comfortable with the dynamics of revenue collection, and that is why I am not under much pressure. Everything has been moving smoothly by the grace of God.<\/p>\n

Thank you very much. That means that having been part of the system before now and having grown within it to become the chairman, you must have brought some specific innovations on board. What specific innovations have you introduced? Have you done anything differently from what was obtainable in the past?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

First of all, from the staff perspective, I have been trying to ensure that I have motivated staff who are willing to accept change because reforms and transformation have to do with change.\n<\/p>\n

The system we operate in now, particularly with the new tax reforms, requires change. We are in an era of digitisation and automation.\n<\/p>\n

We also need to understand that we cannot continue to do things the same old way and expect a different result. So, that change became inevitable.\n<\/p>\n

As it is now, we have been training our staff, especially the IT staff, to ensure that they anchor all the relevant areas to drive the process. We are digitising our processes, and we are also making sure that leakages are significantly minimised.<\/p>\n

That is the essence. That is why you see some level of growth. Leakages have been closed, and we are still closing more.\n<\/p>\n

We also discovered that quite a number of taxpayers, so to speak, who are supposed to be paying taxes are not even registered and are not paying taxes.\n<\/p>\n

We have recorded more than 200 companies that are not complying. That is why you see that our compliance drive is very aggressive. I am sure you must have felt it. Our compliance drive is very aggressive, and people are not used to paying taxes. But now, it is no longer business as usual.\n<\/p>\n

We are very determined to ensure that people understand that broadening the tax base does not mean increasing what people pay. A lot of people are not in the tax net, and we want to ensure that they are brought into the tax net. That is what we are very determined to achieve.\n<\/p>\n

At least, that is one thing we have been able to accomplish in this one year and a few months. We are growing the tax base, and many more people are complying now. When people begin to understand that things have changed, voluntary compliance starts to evolve.<\/p>\n

That is what we have noticed because people can see that there is a change in leadership. They are also adjusting to that change. That is an impressive result for me.\n<\/p>\n

Usually, when you get to a place, you meet it at a particular level and have a target of where you want it to be. At the end of your tenure here, how would you want to leave the Rivers State Internal Revenue Service?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Well, our efforts are geared towards ensuring that what we are putting in place becomes sustainable over time. Our staff will be well-trained, and the processes will be well-entrenched.\n<\/p>\n

If we digitise our processes, we cannot easily go back to the old ways. When you automate your processes, some of them become automated and run independently, you understand?\n<\/p>\n

If we have well-trained staff, you will see that they will enjoy their work and put in their best. By so doing, the organisation becomes a world-class institution with well-motivated staff who understand what is expected of them.<\/p>\n

When they are trained, they are also growing, and they will put in their best. From time to time, they will experience fulfilment. People are happy working in a system when they feel fulfilled.\n<\/p>\n

So, over time, if we are able to put these reforms in place and everything settles and begins to run smoothly, the revenue profile of the state will grow. It will no longer decline. That is what I want to leave behind. Even when my tenure ends, the revenue profile of the state should continue to grow because a solid foundation would have been laid, one that cannot easily be reversed. That is what I want to achieve.\n<\/p>\n

One thing we have observed is that people are more willing and happy to pay taxes when they see commensurate performance from the government, particularly in terms of infrastructure. We have seen more of that in Rivers State. What would you say to residents of Rivers State who have been complying with their tax obligations regularly, particularly regarding sustaining that commitment?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Well, inasmuch as we cannot drive that entirely, they should also appreciate the efforts the government is making. We cannot solve all the problems in one day. We cannot. You know, we have a riverine terrain, and in some areas, the cost of carrying out projects is quite high.\n<\/p>\n

What you can use N10 billion to achieve in one location may require N20 billion or even more in another location. That is why every little effort the government makes should be appreciated, and we should also encourage it.<\/p>\n

You see, there are some people who ought to pay taxes but are not paying, yet they complain even more. You see my challenge? They are complaining more. That is what we have discovered.\n<\/p>\n

If the government is making efforts, you should also use those efforts to encourage it. If the government sees that people are making efforts, it will be motivated to do more, and the government is doing more. So, let us play our civic role. We should discharge our civic responsibilities to encourage the government to deliver on its projects.\n<\/p>\n

As you can see, this current administration has not taken any loans. It is the contributions of taxpayers that provide the government with the necessary resources to execute projects. If people do more, it means the government will not have to plunge the state into debt. The government is also interested in giving back to the people who make these contributions.\n<\/p>\n

If you have followed the governor\u2019s project commissioning programmes so far, you will see that projects are spread across local government areas, and people are also happy. They should be encouraged to do more.\n<\/p>\n

You have talked about deploying technology to improve tax administration and compliance. How have these methods influenced other states? How many states are following in your footsteps?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You see, states are all independent. If I were at the Joint Revenue Board and you asked me this question, I should be able to give you an answer because the Joint Revenue Board is a meeting point for all the states, where we synergise and share experiences. But what we are doing here cannot directly affect another state. The only area where it can have an impact is in areas involving joint revenue collection.\n<\/p>\n

For instance, what we are trying to introduce is the haulage collection system, involving points of loading and offloading. That way, when somebody is transporting goods from Kano, they can pay there, and we can receive the revenue here.\n<\/p>\n

You understand? Until all the states synergise, it may not really work. However, we are still in the process. Not all states have domesticated the law. In our case, we have not yet completed the domestication process. Committees have been formed, and we are working towards ensuring that the law is domesticated.\n<\/p>\n

That is why we have not gone on air to announce what we intend to do at the roadside and other locations. We need to ensure that whatever we put in place is in line with the domesticated law. Since the law has not been domesticated, we cannot officially tell the public that this is what we are doing. We need to wait until the law is domesticated and the civil society and all other stakeholders are properly informed.\n<\/p>\n

You see, revenue collection and tax administration are not just about our office. They involve all stakeholders. Everybody has a role to play. We need people to be properly informed. If people are adequately informed and the wrong person approaches them, they will know what to do. If you are not informed, you can easily fall into the wrong hands.<\/p>\n

We have fake agents operating in different places. Unless people have the courage to call us or take the time to verify information with us, they may get duped. When we eventually come, they may have to pay the money again. That is why we are waiting for the proper domestication of the law so that all stakeholders can be adequately informed.\n<\/p>\n

As for influencing other states, we cannot do that because the various Houses of Assembly operate independently. Some states, depending on their circumstances, have already domesticated the law, while others are still in the process.\n<\/p>\n

I think the most important thing is for us to discuss how we are getting ready to domesticate the law. What are the things we need to do to ensure that we meet up with states that have already domesticated it and remain in line with what others are doing?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

The foundation has already been laid here. Some states do not have a Revenue Service Law, but we have had ours since 2012, and we have been operating under it. So, the Rivers State Internal Revenue Service operates as an autonomous entity. That makes our job easier.\n<\/p>\n

For many states, that law is not yet in place. For us, it only requires some adjustments and fine-tuning to connect with the new tax reforms. That is all that is required.<\/p>\n

Mr. Chairman, you mentioned that enforcement is a very strong aspect of what you do. Those who are supposed to pay taxes but are not complying often complain the most. How are you able to enforce compliance? Do you take such people to security agencies or prosecute them?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

You see, that is where the domestication of the law comes in. Unless the law is domesticated, you cannot charge anybody to court under the relevant provisions. You cannot prosecute someone based on a law that has been abrogated.\n<\/p>\n

So, what we are doing with our compliance drive is to continue educating people. We want to ensure that people embrace voluntary compliance.\n<\/p>\n

For instance, when we visit companies and other entities that are not paying taxes, we first want to establish whether they are registered. If you are not registered, come, let us profile you. If you do not have a Tax Identification Number, come, let us profile you.\n<\/p>\n

We make the necessary adjustments to accommodate them. The most important thing is to get them into the tax net. It is when they begin to resist that process and deliberately refuse to comply that the issue becomes more serious.<\/p>\n

We can put compliance stickers on their premises, and those stickers create awareness and encourage compliance. However, we cannot prosecute them yet. We are waiting for the law to be domesticated so that enforcement becomes more effective. Without the appropriate legal framework, prosecution will not be effective.\n<\/p>\n

As an administrator, who has had the greatest influence on you in your career as a tax administrator?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Well, I would not say specifically as a tax administrator. I have somebody who has had a major influence on my life and career.\n<\/p>\n

That person is the late Dr. Deima Dennis-Fiberisima, the owner of Odadiki Eye Hospital. He was my boss while I was serving. He told me, \u201cIsrael, whatever you have studied, you must come and work with me.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

He eventually called me after my service year and said I must come back and work with him. He did not care what I had studied. At that time, he was the Commissioner for Health. He taught me the principles of working as a public servant and made me a workaholic. I have carried that understanding throughout my career, and that is why I can fit into any system and still perform.<\/p>\n

I started my career at the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission. I later transferred to the Internal Revenue Service. From here, I moved to the Ministry of Budget.\n<\/p>\n

In all these places, I have played very significant roles in the development of the state. I am telling you, he was the person who laid that foundation. That is what drives my interest in whatever I do. That understanding permeates every area of my endeavours.\n<\/p>\n

It is not just about tax administration. It is about my understanding of my duties and responsibilities as a public officer and what I need to do to contribute my quota to the development of the state. That is what I am interested in.\n<\/p>\n

As we draw to a close, Mr. Chairman, are there any serious challenges you have encountered in the course of doing this job that you would like to share with our readers?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Well, the major challenge we have here is the multiplicity of touts. It is a big distraction for me. Inasmuch as their activities may not directly affect revenue growth, they cause a lot of distractions and take up time that I should be spending on more important issues.<\/p>\n

I am busy pursuing these touts who are going around faking my signature, forcefully seizing people\u2019s materials and impersonating our staff. It is a big distraction for me. That is a major challenge.\n<\/p>\n

Gradually, by the grace of God, we will tackle it as we continue with the domestication process. When the law is domesticated, so many things will change. We will then inform stakeholders about what we intend to do and how we expect them to respond. From that point, the enforcement process will begin.\n<\/p>\n

Anybody who contravenes the law will face the consequences. But as it stands now, we are patiently waiting for the domestication process to be completed. That is why people need to be patient and watchful at the same time.\n<\/p>\n

Inasmuch as the office is functioning and we are making our efforts, that is the area where I face my greatest challenge. These impersonators send wrong signals to the general public, making people believe that our staff are the ones issuing fake demand notices or carrying out illegal activities.\n<\/p>\n

But we are not responsible for those activities. That is why we have decided to equip our enforcement staff with distinct uniforms, different from the ordinary reflective vests.<\/p>\n

We have spent money to kit them out so that whenever they arrive at a location, people can easily identify them as officials of the Internal Revenue Service. They do not come with just one or two vehicles. They come with three, four or five vehicles. You understand what I am talking about?\n<\/p>\n

We now operate in a distinct way so that people can identify our officials. If other issues arise, we can then address them properly and ensure that they are resolved. That is my major challenge. Apart from that, everything is moving smoothly.\n<\/p>\n

Finally, sometimes you need to speak directly to the people. You have identified the challenges, and these challenges also affect the residents. How would you want them to respond when they encounter people impersonating your officials or presenting questionable demand notices?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

We have told them repeatedly that whenever people bring demand notices to them, they should not fight or quarrel with them. They should collect the demand notices. We have discovered that some of these impostors even write their names and phone numbers in people\u2019s Bibles.\n<\/p>\n

We have an office here. People should come to our office to verify whether the demand notices they receive are genuine. Do not quarrel with them because when you quarrel with them, the situation can become frustrating. You can simply tell them, \u201cOkay, you are coming back in seven days? No problem. We will attend to you when you return in seven days.\u201d Use that period to make enquiries.<\/p>\n

We have noticed that whenever people call us to report these incidents, the impostors usually run away. If you know they are coming, you can also alert people in that particular location to be watchful. Once these impostors see our officials, they will disappear.\n<\/p>\n

We need people to have confidence in us by reporting such matters so that they do not get duped. They should feel free to contact us. We have our official lines, and they should communicate with us. They should seek confirmation about anything someone presents to them. Is it genuine? Where is it coming from?\n<\/p>\n

That is what we want people to do. We want them to share their experiences with us, particularly their encounters with revenue agents. If they have an unpleasant experience with an agent whom we officially engaged, we also want to know.\n<\/p>\n

There are rules of engagement. If an agent is not following those rules, we will call the person to order, provided that the agent is someone we have officially authorised to operate.\n<\/p>\n

Finally, do you have any regrets so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t have any regrets. You know, I don\u2019t have any regrets because I see this as a call to serve my state. You cannot have a system where there are no challenges. You cannot have a system where everybody will like you, especially when you want to introduce change. People will resist change.\n<\/p>\n

I am not regretting anything, and I am very comfortable and confident that the change will come over time. It will come. I see this as an opportunity to serve my state, and I will do it with every strength God has given me. I will do it so that God\u2019s name will be glorified.\n<\/p>\n

You know, when you honour God, you receive blessings. You have peace. So, rather than having regrets, I have peace within me, no matter what is happening. I have peace within me because I am doing what I know is right.\n<\/p>\n

I am not afraid of anything or anybody because I have not compromised myself in any way. I am focused on doing what is right. If you like, abuse me, curse me or do anything. I have peace because I know that I am doing the right thing. That is what I have to say.\n<\/p>\n

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Businessday NG<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Israel Egbunefu is the executive chairman of the Rivers State Internal Revenue Service (RIRS). In this interview with Samuel Ese in Port Harcourt, he explains why Rivers State has not… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}