The PDP in Edo has said that “massive leakages” were responsible for the dwindling internally generated revenue (IGR) under Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration.

Anthony Aziegbemi, chairman of the PDP caretaker committee, made this known while addressing journalists on the state of the Edo economy in Benin.

Mr Aziegbemi noted that in October 2024, during the final days of former Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration, Edo’s monthly IGR stood at approximately N8 billion.

He added that under the current administration, the state’s IGR had dropped significantly to barely N3 billion per month.

Mr Aziegbemi, who expressed concern over the state’s financial situation, alleged that in the last month, Edo had lost N1.3 billion in revenue.

“According to the recently released IGR report for February, revenue plummeted from N4.7 billion in January to N3.4 billion in February.

“The level of financial leakages had been massive, and Edo has continued to experience a sharp decline in IGR,” Mr Aziegbemi lamented.

He alleged that non-state agents, backed by certain political forces, were diverting government revenue into private bank 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 added.

Reacting, Courage Eboigbe, head of corporate communications at the Edo State Internal Revenue Service (EIRS), dismissed the PDP’s claims.

Mr Eboigbe stated that the allegations were far from the truth, emphasising that the revenue service had maintained 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.

“EIRS firmly dismisses the claim that IGR fell from N4.7 billion in January to N3.4 billion in February,” Mr Eboigbe stated.

According to him, official records confirm a stable upward revenue trajectory, contradicting the narrative put forth by the PDP.

(NAN)