Until he came to take over as Chairman, Benue Internal Revenue Service on contract as was officially negotiated based on the laid down legitimate processes, not much was known of the nationally celebrated Benue born banker and financial expert, Mr. Andrew Ayabam in Benue state, as most of his academic and professional exploits were outside the boundaries of Benue, particularly in cities like Lagos, Jos and Abuja.
Notably, he did not secure the job and went to sleep as he had to weather the storm owing to the relaxed and porous laws on revenue and taxation in the state.
Fortunately, Governor Gabriel Suswam, armed with his blue print, “Our Benue, Our Future”, gave his overwhelming support and the leaky laws on tax collection were amiably amended by the Benue State House of Assembly paving way for Mr. Ayabam to determine his capability or otherwise vis-à-vis effectively and efficiently piloting affairs of the agency that though supposed to be the hub of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), was before his arrival, never heard of generating up to N2m a month.
True to his promise to further boost revenue generation in the state via dynamic and resourceful approach, and with the unwavering support from the number one citizen of the state, Rt. Hon. Gabriel Torwua Suswam, Andrew Ayabam took the state by surprise through series of sterling and remarkable achievements in generating revenue and meeting the targets that were thought to be unattainable thereby rejuvenating BIRS and its operations.
In less than three years, BIRS’s impacts have been felt widely both in the state capital and almost all local governments through building, renovation of primary schools and rehabilitating and or reconstruction of streets.
Suffice to say that, at the moment, infrastructural and human resources development at the agency is, without mincing words, currently at its highest ebb, leading to the agency being able to, as the most ICT-compliant organization in the country, dispatch competent and highly trained personnel to man revenue collection in all the local governments, a development that has since yielded high dividends for the state going by series of drives and operational excellence being recorded regularly by the agency.
As the highest staff computer ownership ratio in the state that pays its contract staff the highest wage in Nigeria, BIRS has lived up to the expectations of Benue people by consistently maintaining its financial leadership role having being classed among the biggest state revenue services in Nigeria in terms of massive employment with was done with the full permission of the Governor. With staff strength of about 2,000, about 1,600 are young graduates, 45% of them been female.
There is no doubt that BIRS under the helmsmanship of Andrew Ayabam has indeed set a unique pace, having demonstrated a determination to live a footprints on the sand of time as a man who came, saw, fought and conquered revenue generation in the state.
It is evidently understandable as Governor Suswam has already renewed the agreement approving another four years for Mr. Ayabam so that the good work will continue.
Thus, as an agency that is incessantly providing the Benue state government with funds to execute or complete projects that have direct bearing on the lives of the Benue people, it no wonder then that a reasonable section of the Benue people are overwhelmingly daily singing praises to Governor Gabriel Suswam for sustaining his support to headship of the BIRS for more successes.
It is therefore only advisable to Benue elites not to be quick to criticise such achievers via mere academic assessment but rather judge them mainly by their performance in office as obtained in developed countries of the world since “the taste of the pudding, they say, is in the eating”.
By Kula Tersoo Kula
Veteran journalist and public affairs analyst from Makurdi
