Abia State Governor Alex Otti has advocated for Nigeria’s tiers of government to reduce their reliance on oil revenue and commit to fixing the tax system. Speaking at the 37th convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Otti noted that the current over-reliance on oil has weakened commitment to effective tax collection, leading to abuses by political actors and consultants. He criticized the use of crude tactics to compel tax payments and the retention of significant portions of collected revenue as “cost of collection,” which deepens resentment and violates tax laws.
Otti argued that the existing system of sharing oil money among states cannot guarantee capital development. He called for exploring alternative revenue streams to meet development targets and criticized the “new culture of aggressive self-seeking” that has stifled community concerns. He emphasized that a functional primary healthcare facility may be more impactful than overseas medical contacts, urging a change in disposition towards community needs.
