By Henry  Umoru 

AHEAD of the confirmation  of the 48  ministerial  nominees by the Senate, Senator  Jimoh Ibrahim,  APC,  Ondo South has strongly advised President  Bola  Tinubu  to create the Ministry of Revenue.

In a statement he personally  signed  yesterday  in Abuja,  Senator  Ibrahim  who noted that  it has become  very  imperative  for the creation of the Ministry, Senator Ibrahim  said that the ministry when in place, would serve as  coordinating platform for all revenue generating agencies,

The Senator who noted that it is indispensable for the  nation  to wangle its way out of the current socio-economic quagmire, said,”There are many revenue generating agencies in Nigeria today without a coordinating body or platform.

” The Ministry of Finance is not giving the required mobilisation and coordination in this regard , hence , the need for Ministry of Revenue.

” Analogically , in Nigeria over the years , we have the Ministry of Finance more or less playing the role of  Bursar disbursing all the monies remitted into national coffers by generating agencies but there is no Treasurer to keep proper records of revenues generated by the various affected agencies and give them the required impetus to generate more.

” Nigeria definitely needs a national treasurer to be symbolised by the Federal Ministry of Revenue when created.”

Senator Ibrahim  who noted that the idea has been sold to President Bola Tinubu who according to  him , saw the need for it in line with his pedigree on improved revenue generation, said that the Ministry of Revenue when created , would serve as one of the strategies through which the nation’s debt could be defrayed by serving  as  window for improved revenue generation to fast-track the nation’s development.

He said, ” The nation’s debts of N77trn shouldn’t be a cause for worry considering the current debt to Gross Domestic Product ratio of less than 31 percent and required innovative ideas of defraying it.”