The Executive Chairman of the Imo State Internal Revenue Service (IIRS), Mr. Justice Okoye, received the Special Adviser on Youth Mobilization, Hon. Dr. Eric Uwakwe, alongside the executive members of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Imo State Chapter on a courtesy call on Tuesday 4th February, 2025.
Hon. Dr. Eric Uwakwe congratulated the Chairman for his re-appointment and expressed gratitude for the warm welcome. He stated that the visit was aimed at fostering a working relationship with the Service and also emphasized that youths in Imo state have been marginalized and deprived of certain benefits while stressing that empowering them would significantly reduce insecurity and social unrest, as well as cultism and other vices.
The Special Advicer further highlighted the National Youth Council of Nigeria’s willingness to collaborate with the Service to enhance the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR). He also raised challenges hindering revenue collection and emphasized the importance of building a strong partnership with the youth to expand revenue collection across various sectors.
In his remarks, the NYCN Chairman, Comrade Humphrey Osuji, appealed to the IIRS Chairman to grant the youth opportunities to contribute to the state’s revenue generation. He pledged the council’s full support for the Service, proposing the creation of a revenue head for youth-driven revenue collection. He also assured that manpower support from the youth would be available to drive the state’s economic progress.
Mr. Justice Okoye appreciated the delegation for their visit and reiterated his commitment to youth development, expressing his willingness to work with them. He emphasized that young people are the voice of the nation and must not be misguided.
He highlighted the newly deployed revenue management system stating that training programs to equip youths to assist in boosting the IGR of Imo State have been proposed. Furthermore, he welcomed innovative ideas that would contribute to the state’s economic growth and development.