Business
Enugu Recruits 30 BIR Staff
Enugu State Government has approved the recruitment of additional 30 members of staff for the Board of Internal Revenue (BIR).
The Commissioner for Information, Dr Godwin Udeuhele, made the disclosure when he briefed newsmen on the outcome of the executive council meeting held on Wednesday night.
Udeuhele said that the move was to energise the board to achieve its target.
He said that the recruitment which would be jointly executed by the board and the state civil service would be carried out immediately.
“Approval has been given for the recruitment of 30 people that will be posted to the BIR to enhance the realisation of their objectives and increase the revenue base of the state.
“This approval was sequel to the request by the chairman of the board who complained of lack of adequate manpower as the major challenge of the BIR,” he said.
Udeuhele said that the chairman of the board had at resumption met a dilapidating work environment, including obsolete equipment and infrastructure.
He said that the revenue boss had identified the prevailing circumstance as antithetical to the attainment of their set goals.
“This request by the board, which was as a result of what they met on ground, gave rise to the renovation of the revenue building and now they are doing well.
“The building has been completed and new equipment acquired which would be deployed to different sections of the office to minimise revenue leakage.
“Unfortunately, majority of the staff are either retiring or lack requisite computer knowledge,” he said.
Udeuhele said that the employment would inject the right mix of people, including fresh graduates, in order to disabuse the psyche of the staffers from the practice of old.
“The employment is civil service-based, not contract and the qualifications will vary depending on the specifications. But one thing is sure; they will be sound in computer and accounting,” he said.
The commissioner said that the BIR would be responsible for the shortlisting of the applicants and would in turn forward same to the office of the Head of Service for further action.
“The board will shortlist the
applicants and send their names to the head of service for interview and selection of successful candidates,” he said.
Udeuhele said that the council had approved the participation of the state in the stabilisation fund of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC).
He said that the facility was newly created by the commission to augment statutory allocations to states in the face of dwindling economic fortune.
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has criticised Nigeria’s import ban on 25 categories of goods, claiming that the restrictions limit market access for American exporters.
This is the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs introduction on goods entering the United States, with Nigeria facing a 14 per cent duty.
The USTR highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s import ban on various sectors, particularly agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
The restrictions affect items such as beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and alcoholic beverages, which the United States sees as significant barriers to trade.
The agency argues that these limitations reduce export opportunities for United States businesses and lead to lost revenue.
“Nigeria’s import ban on 25 different product categories impacts United States exporters, particularly in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
“Restrictions on items like beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and spirits limit United States market access and reduce export opportunities.
“These policies create significant trade barriers that lead to lost revenue for United States businesses looking to expand in the Nigerian market”, the agency said .
In 2016, Nigeria implemented the ban on these 25 items as part of efforts to control imports and stimulate local production.
Some of the banned items include poultry, pork, refined vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa products, spaghetti, beer, and certain medicines.
On March 26, 2025, the Federal Government also announced plans to halt solar panel imports to encourage local manufacturing as part of its push for clean energy.
A leading agribusiness strategist and digital agriculture expert, Ayo Oluwa Okediji, has sought cooperative-driven investments in sustaining growth of poultry industry in Nigeria.
He said the poultry industry was at a defining moment and requires urgent structural reforms to secure its future and ensure long-term sustainability.
Speaking on the theme, “Strengthening Poultry Farming Through Cooperative Synergy and Strategic Investments”, at the recently concluded Oyo Mega Poultry Workshop 2025 in Ibadan, Okediji called on poultry farmers, cooperative leaders, financial institutions and policy makers to rethink the existing structure of the poultry sector.
He stressed the need to transition from fragmented, individually-driven operations to well-structured, cooperative-led enterprises capable of attracting sustainable financing and securing long-term viability.
He said, “Our poultry sector cannot thrive on individual effort alone. We need to organise ourselves into cooperative clusters, build strong governance systems and position ourselves to attract the level of investment needed to sustain this industry beyond this generation.”
Drawing on lessons from successful global cooperative models such as Rabobank in the Netherlands and Landus Cooperative in the United States, Okediji introduced the FarmClusters Poultry Model, a locally adapted solution developed by Agribusiness Dynamics Technology Limited (AgDyna), a subsidiary of AgroInfoTech Africa.
According to him, the model is currently being piloted in Oyo State in partnership with PANOY Agribusiness Limited and local poultry cooperatives.
The Rivers State Representative of the Nigeria Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Erasmus Chukwundah, has urged palm oil farmers to consider hybrid seedlings for planting, if they must break even in palm oil business.
Chukwundah said this recently at the Free Oil Palm Business Climate Smart Best Management Practice/Assistance Training organized by Partnership Initiative In Niger Delta (PIND) for Palm Oil Farmers in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The Rivers representative said until palm oil farmers begin to consider such hybrid oil palm seedlings, they may not meet up with the daily increasing demand of palm oil in the market.
According to him, the seedlings produce up to 30 bunches at once that ripen same time.
He said PIND decided to partner with Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) to ensure that the message was received by the targeted audience.
According to him, palm oil remained a popular choice of industry operators as it could be converted to many other products such as vegetable cooking oil.
He also noted that products such as motor tyers, marine ropes and others are now gotten from the palm tree.
Chukwundah, who is the immediate past Director-General of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries, and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), further warned against use of unrecommended fertilisers in growing oil palms.
He noted that such practices could limit its export value or chances as the foreign marketers have a way of detecting such .
He reiterated the need for organic fertilizers, including poultry droppings, to enable them have a natural palm oil.
“People must reduce physical contact with palm oil production. That is why we are campaigning for hydrolic oil mills. The foreign markets are no longer interested in crude method of palm oil production”, he said.
Meanwhile, one of the farmers, Sonny Didia, who appreciated Chukwundah’s commitment towards the concern of farmers, appealed for an urgent need for loan opportunity with low interest rate in order to enable them beat the target.
King Onunwor