Bigly Oil and Gas, an Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) firm in Anambra State, Saturday, barred its members from smoking cigarettes, hemp, other hard drugs and substances especially while on duty.
The firm’s project manager, Mr Chukwuma Nwabuikwu Michael, who disclosed in an interview in Awka, said their agents were barred from drugs and substance abuse in order to improve the State revenue generation window in civic and responsible manner as envisaged by governor Chukwuma Soludo’s adminstration.
Nwabuikwu further maintained that any of their agents caught engaging in sharp practices or corruption, consuming or trading on hard drugs, alcoholic drinks, cigarettes and hemp while on duty would be disengaged and handed over to the law enforcement agents for appropriate action.
According to him, the firm was accredited by the Anambra State government to collect haulage taxes from trucks on transits and trucks conveying goods to markets and remit same to the State government purse electronically so as to block or prevent revenue leakages as approved by the State government.
He charged the public to report any of their staff caught violating the rules or persons masquerading as them, adding that they have recruited and trained over 300 Anambra residents to become useful in revenue collections in supports of the government’s efforts to eliminate agberos (touts) in the revenue sector.
“We are working with Anambra State Internal Revenue Service (AiRS) to collect haulage revenues, help improves the State revenue, stop agberos (touts), and block revenue leakages. We are committed to this service since we started operation on 26 September, 2023. We have recruited over 300 youth to join the system, train them and empower them to work efficiently, with their complete data available to the security and other relevant authorities.
“Our rule of engagement handed over to them is to observe international best practices. If you engage on hard drugs, smoke hemp or even take cigarettes or alcoholic drinks while on duty, we will dismiss and hand you over to the law enforcement agents. We will also dismiss and ensure prosecution of any of our staff caught in sharp practices or corruption. We warned our members against using violence or abuses on motorists too, ” he added.