The Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KW-IRS) received the Executive Chairman of the Benue State Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) and his team on Thursday, 7th August 2025, at its Corporate Head Office in Ilorin, for a comprehensive peer learning visit aimed at knowledge sharing for operational improvement.
The visit featured interactive discussions with top management staff of KW-IRS, including a tour of the Revenue House and demonstrations of strategic initiatives and digital tools that support the agency’s drive for efficiency, transparency, and improved taxpayer satisfaction.
In her welcome address, the Executive Chairman, KW-IRS, Shade Omoniyi, congratulated Joseph Kwaghgba on his recent appointment as BIRS Executive Chairman and provided an overview of the KW-IRS journey. She highlighted the Service’s progress since inception, while also noting some foundational challenges, particularly those relating to tax autonomy, and the initial difficulty in onboarding taxpayers into the tax net.
She acknowledged that while some of KW-IRS’ strategic interventions have been sustainable, others faced resistance due to changes from previous approaches, which created discomfort among stakeholders. Nonetheless, the service continues to innovate and improve.
Shade Omoniyi enumerated some of the agency’s achievements so far, which include a comprehensive process reform, creation of Self-Service Portal for improved taxpayer convenience, development of a Vehicle Management System, two ISO certifications and subsequent re-certifications (Business Continuity Management System & Quality Management System) making KW-IRS the only ISO-certified State IRS in Nigeria, deployment of POS devices for revenue payments in touch points across the State, and continuous public sensitization to drive cashless policy. She also mentioned other initiatives of the Service, such as the Community Impact Programs (CIPs) – interventions targeted at boosting revenue generation in low compliance communities, and the Harmonised Billing System which displays all tax liabilities of taxpayers on a single bill, with installment payment options available.
In his remarks, Joseph Kwaghgba appreciated the warm reception and commended the level of advancement at KW-IRS. He noted the similarities between Benue and Kwara States in terms of relying heavily on civil servants and small businesses for Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). He further shared challenges encountered in Benue, including resistance from MDAs in fully handing over revenue functions, the inefficiencies of third-party arrangements, low compliance with IT systems, and over-reliance on consultants who do not add significant value.
However, he reported some progress, noting a marked increase in IGR within his first three weeks in office and improved staff alignment with new operational methods. He emphasized that with stronger IT integration, better results in both IGR and operational efficiency are achievable, and expressed hope for continued partnership with KW-IRS.
Also present at the session was Daniel Ashiekaa, Coordinator of the Benue State Economic & Investment Advisory Council (BEIAC), who thanked the KW-IRS leadership for the insight and shared learnings. He made inquiries about strategies for centralizing revenue collection and stakeholder engagement, which was addressed accordingly.
In attendance at the meeting were Special Adviser to the BIRS Chairman, Marami Hiifan; Managing Director of Compumetric Solutions Ltd, Bosun Ayeni; KW-IRS Directors, Legal & Compliance, Shehu Abdullahi; Income Tax, Mohammed Usman; MDAs, Omotayo Ayinla; and Admin & Operations, Yusuf La-Kadri, among selected staff of KW-IRS.
Signed
Funmilola Oguntunbi
Head, Corporate Affairs Department
08/08/2025
