By Ijendu Iheaka
Umuahia. May 6, 2025
Abia State Government says it will soon begin digital enumeration of assets and houses of Abia residents in the urban and rural areas to widen it’s tax net.
The Abia Commissioner for Information, Mr. Okey Kanu disclosed this, on Tuesday during a press briefing at Umuahia Government House.
Kanu said that the enumeration would help the state to improve its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from N40 billion to 120 billion by end of 2025.
“In the coming weeks the state will commence a comprehensive enumeration of houses and businesses and these will be integrated with the Abia State Social Identification Number (ABSSIN).
“As government wants to build a database of businesses and people the exercise will help revenue forecasting.
“It will ensure equity in taxation and more importantly, it will serve as a gateway for Abia people to access vital social services,” he said.
Kanu said that the government would be encouraged the more when the people support what the government was doing, hence the need for the people’s support.
“We, therefore urge every citizen, resident and business owners in Abia State to stand with the government by paying their taxes and fees promptly,” he said.
The Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Uwaoma Ukandu said the project would be at no cost to Abia government because its technical partners were already benefitting from doing business with Abia.
Ukandu said that the enumeration would be done statewide beginning from the urban to the rural areas.
He insisted that government would use the enumeration to gather data for planning and to make people who did not pay taxes to begin to pay taxes.
Some other government officials present at the briefing included the Chairman, Abia Internal Revenue Services, Prof Udochukwu Ogbonna and Special Adviser to Gov. Alex Otti on Media, Ferdinand Ekeoma.
