Top Management Staff Fight Over Anambra’s IGR, Soludo Silent

The organisation in responsibility of obtaining internal funds for the State is Anambra State Internal Revenue Services, or AIRS.

It is not surprising that the organisation in charge of collecting revenue is flush with cash given the number of markets the state has—over 100 in Onitsha alone, 20 significant international markets spread throughout the state, an industrial city in Nnewi, and several semi-urban centres that can brag of sizable economic activity.

However, a dispute over state funds and their collection has ensnared the senior management of AIRS. But the main rivalry in the conflict is between Dr. Christian Madubuko, the agency’s executive director of operations, and Chief Greg Ezeilo, the executive chairman of AIRS.

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According to Anaedoonline.ng, the main point of disagreement is who is in charge of the state’s internally generated money.

After taking the oath of office, Soludo directed the AIRS to generate more revenue. The governor assigned the agency the goal of increasing the state’s internal revenue to N10 billion on a monthly basis.

Following the charge, the agency launched a revenue drive. This, in turn, caused a backlash against the governor, with many claiming that their taxes were suffocating them.

Even though Dr. Richard Maddiebo was the executive chairman at the time, the agency eventually changed how it operated, doing away with cash collection in favour of electronic payment.

According to a DAILY POST source who talked with the outlet on condition of anonymity, Madiebbo was enraged that Soludo did not investigate the situation further and confront Madubuko.

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Chief Greg Ezeilo became the new chairman and executive director upon his departure. He was reportedly grounded when he was last in the system as well. But his arrival sparked a new round of conflict between him and Madubuko, which prompted him to try to shrink Madubuko to size.

Anaedoonline.ng learned that Ezeilo changed Madubuko’s job description from being in charge of field operations to New Businesses Development, Motor Licencing, Road Taxes, and Supervising the UHBET Computer-Based Testing Facility (CBT) as part of the strategy. Ezeilo also created a new office, UHBET Centre, and assigned Madubuko an office in the complex. Madubuko took exception at this and chose to ignore him in order to carry out his duties as operations manager, sending employees out into the field to enforce the law.

The money involved was the primary driver behind this insistence on staying on the field, according to our source. You will understand Madubuko’s insistence on remaining in the field if you are aware of the amount in the field.

However, the Executive Director visits the field himself as well. He is observant and does not want Madubuko to continue probing into his personal life with his stifling influence. There are a tonne of games being played there.

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In the meantime, Ezeilo accused Madubuko of other offences, including usurping authority, insubordination, and changing some of the agency’s operating vehicles for his own use, in an internal memo that took the form of a question.

The memo, which was leaked to the press reads in part: “You will recall, in my last conversations with you, shortly after you returned from your overseas trip, I took you to the UHBET Centre and conducted you round that facility; showed you your new office location in that Centre, and intimated you that your job roles would now change to cover among others, New Business Development, Motor Licensing, Road Taxes and overseeing the UHBET Computer-Based Testing Facility (CBT).

“Additionally, I informed you that, as an Executive Director, you are never to be engaged in any field work again except where it becomes extremely necessary to do so. Similarly, arising from my initial memo to all directors, management, and every other staff of AIRS, no such actions involving interacting with any external parties should take place without the authorization of the Chairman.

“In another development, records from the head of admin showed that you are still in custody of three (3) of AIRS vehicles, namely two Sienna buses and one truck, contrary to our vehicle fleet management policy of one officer – one vehicle and others to the pool. In the light of the above, can you please take immediate steps to address the following queries.

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“You are to provide lucid explanations of your roles in issues in ‘1’ above and why severe disciplinary actions cannot be taken against you. Upon satisfactory submission on issues No.1, you should take immediate steps to relocate your office to the UHBET Centre as provided and thereof conduct yourself in line with your new job roles.

“Provide reasonable and convincing undertaking that you will never engage with any external parties including AIRS Partners or their agents, the police, civil defence, DSS or the press without express approval of the Chairman. Finally, you should take immediate steps to return two (2) of the three (3) vehicles in your custody back to the office and hand over the keys to the head of Admin for effective fleet operations.”

That one question could have opened up a whole new can of worms since in his reply, Madubuko offered information that could be considered an accusation against the chairman, even though it was impossible to confirm.

Madubuko suggested that he may have also leaked his response to the question, disclosing numerous secrets he shared with Ezeilo, and accused Ezeilo of leaking it to the media in an attempt to disgrace him.

In response to the question, Madubuko stated that Ezeilo was attempting to keep him away from what had been going on and that he was using one of the revenue companies as a conduit for him to embezzle government monies.

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He said that this was the case even if the business was now paying Ezeilo in cash, since the taxes produced by the company should have automatically gone into government coffers through electronic payment.

“I am even more worried to observe that a partnering firm whose job function is to supervise the AIRS digital collections and pay into State account digitally is now coming up with a cheque of N150 million, which is obviously less than 20% of what has been collected in the field on behalf of AIRS.

“Remember that same company made over N1,269,360billion within the three months and two weeks period it operated as revenue agent for Anambra State in late 2022 and early 2023 in a very obnoxious manner that warranted the abrupt suspension of the flying revenue by Mr. Governor in January 2023.

“The records of money collected by the firm are not only available but also verifiable to date. Till today, the firm claims it has not recovered the N450 million it invested in the Anambra IGR. That is a blatant lie. I would like anyone who doubts this to challenge me and I will make verifiable records of its collections and the amount collected available.

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“I asked a direct question to you regarding the circulating news that you, the Chairman, Dr. Greg Ezeilo collected N4million and two cows from Mr. Ken Nwankwo before your Ozor title taking at Igbo-Ukwu your community and that Mr. Ken Nwankwo, a.k.a Abig (owner of Bigly Oil and Gas) gave you N20million to be able to secure the appointment letter for the ‘upstream and downstream’ revenue buckets.

“You accepted that both incidents happened. I advised you (on) the dangers of accepting things like that from ‘partners and contractors’ as the case may be. You told me you will refund back his N4million to him and on the issue of two cows, you retorted: ‘how much does a cow cost?’ That you will give him back his two cows. On the N20million you said you borrowed the money from him to rehabilitate the UHBET Centre.

“I was amused but not deceived because you took the money and started doing his biddings. It is not surprising, therefore, that you saw nothing wrong with our IGR Partner recruiting hardened criminals across the State for revenue collections. Rather, you called for my head for daring to venture where the angels fear to go. I can now rightly or wrongly confirm that even the angels eat beans.

“In that meeting also, you admitted many things you have done arbitrarily, and in a dictatorial manner without carrying we, your colleagues along as a team. You equally admitted having encroached so much on areas of my primary assignments as approved by Mr. Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, CFR. You promised to make amends so we can join hands to upscale Anambra State revenue. We also discussed the decline in the amount of revenue generated in August 2023 and how to upscale the revenue. We noted that the primary cause was lack of collaboration. Of everything we agreed upon, Mr. Chairman has not kept even one.

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“Your decree that I should stop going to the field operations only exposed your bereft of knowledge on leadership or management ‘by walking around’. Every successful leader or organisation practices management by walking around or management by wandering around. It is also known as leadership by walking about.

“My adoption of leadership by going to the frontline has helped the State IGR grow from N1.8billion in March where we met it to N2.8billion in July 2023, after which I traveled to Australia in August and returned in September to meet the IGR in a state of terrible decline.

“Since then, revenue thieves have multiplied and seem to have formed a terrible alliance with you. The state of the IGR’s steady decline under your watch and style of leadership is becoming too dangerous for silence.

“Think of what it would be if we pull our talents and strengths together, we would have definitely reclaimed over 85% of the State IGR in the hands of the revenue vandals.

“By now, we would have been talking of generating N5billion, while targeting at N10billion as from 2024,” Madubuko stated.

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Anambra appears to be feeling the effects of the ongoing war. According to our insider source, several of the businesses managing the IGR collection for the government of Anambra State are getting richer by the day.

Strangely, the state governor has spoken very nothing about the Revenue House problem.

It was learned that this was the cause of Madiebbo’s previous resignation.

In response to questions from Anaedoonline.ng regarding Soludo’s plans to sanitise the Revenue House, Mr. Chris Aburime, the press secretary for the governor of Anambra State, stated that there was no conflict within the organisation.

“At least, that is not within my knowledge,” he said.

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