Adebayo Abdulrahman
The executive chairman of the Oyo State Inland Revenue Service, OYSIRS, Aremo John Adeleke, has been alleged of ignoring the executive order of Governor Seyi Makinde that all non-essential civil servants should stay at home to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
In a circular to staff of the agency, Adeleke ordered that ”all directors, unit heads, station managers, and revenue officers must be at their duty post daily as OYSIRS is considered part of the essential services.”
He also directed that all junior staff/subordinates must come to work but they should be rotated.
He added, ”junior staff/subordinates are to be rotated. In all tax stations, not more than two (2) officers should be on ground to attend to taxpayers and the public who wish to renew their vehicle particulars or new registration.’’
Even though the director ordered that all staffs are to observe and strictly comply with the general guidelines on COVID 19, the directive is a disregard for the order of the governor, who has also tested positive to the deadly disease this evening.
In a circular dated 26th of March, 2020 signed by F. N. Oladeinde, the permanent secretary on service matters to the head of service titled COVID – 19; Directives For Civil/Public Servants on Emergency Duty, he directed that base on the measures of the state government to curtail the spread of coronavirus, all non-essential civil/public servants should stay at home for two weeks starting from Friday, 27th March 2020.
OYOINSIGHT.COM had also earlier reported how the governor ordered all non-essential civil servants to stay at home as part of efforts to prevent the spread of a virus that has killed thousands globally.
Sulaiman Abiodun Oyaremi, a former chairman of the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) in Oyo State, in a letter to the governor made available to OYOINSIGHT.COM described this as a ‘not-a-too-good decision’.
In the letter, he wrote, “Exempting revenue staff in Oyo state from stay-at-home order of the state government for other civil servants is simply self-shooting! When do the revenue staff become essential staff? So, all previous claims that revenue generation and the collection had been digitalized is all along a facade.”
Oyaremi, who is a former aide to the immediate past communications minister, Adebayo Shittu, added that he is not blind to the fact that revenue generation is key to government and governance but the welfare of people is far and above any other considerations.
