The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has accused Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration of overseeing a significant decline in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) due to “massive leakages.” These allegations were vehemently refuted by the Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS), who claim record-breaking revenue generation.
Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi, Chairman of the PDP Caretaker Committee, addressed journalists in Benin City, painting a grim picture of the state’s current financial standing. He asserted that the monthly IGR, which stood at approximately N8 billion in October 2024 under the previous administration, has plummeted to a mere N3 billion under Governor Okpebholo.
“The level of financial leakages had been massive, and Edo has continued to experience a sharp decline in IGR,” Aziegbemi lamented. He further alleged a loss of N1.3 billion in revenue within the last month, citing a decline from N4.7 billion in January to N3.4 billion in February, according to a recently released IGR report.
Aziegbemi pointed fingers at “non-state agents, backed by certain political forces,” accusing them of diverting government revenue into private accounts instead of the state Treasury. “It is the activities of these non-state actors that have caused the drastic fall in the state’s internally generated revenue,” he stated.
However, these claims were met with strong opposition from the EIRS. Mr. Courage Eboigbe, Head of Corporate Communications at the EIRS, dismissed the PDP’s allegations as “far from the truth,” maintaining that the revenue service has consistently achieved an average IGR of N10 billion.
“The IGR report for February is very impressive, standing at over N9.5 billion, a figure never attained by the past administration,” Eboigbe stated. He firmly rejected the PDP’s assertion that IGR fell from N4.7 billion in January to N3.4 billion in February.
“EIRS firmly dismisses the claim that IGR fell from N4.7 billion in January to N3.4 billion in February,” Eboigbe asserted.
Eboigbe insisted that official records showcase a “stable upward revenue trajectory,” contradicting the narrative presented by the PDP and reinforcing the EIRS’s commitment to maximizing revenue collection for the benefit of Edo State. The conflicting accounts highlight a growing political divide surrounding the management of state finances, promising further scrutiny of the administration’s economic policies.
