The Ojodu Local Council Development Area has taken a bold step in going digital by launching the Point of Payment (PoP) machine which will facilitate the payment of levies and rates within the local council area.
The event which took place at the council’s secretariat had in attendance various stakeholders who all expressed their delight at the initiative and urge the people to embrace the use of the machine as it will aid rapid development of the area.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of the council, Mallam Jaji, said that the introduction of the PoP will tackle rouge revenue collectors and ensure that all revenues are paid directly to the purse of the council.
He said, “The main reason why we are here is to make our business transactions very easy for those who are paying into the coffers of the council and the council itself. On this seat, we usually have different experiences when it comes to the issue of revenue collection. Some people have the council rubber stamp; they have the council receipt and documents which they use to defraud unsuspecting members of the public. This is one of the leakages that is affecting the effective generation and accumulation of revenue by the local government.”
“So, if we have this Point of Payment collection, it is to our advantage and it is also to your advantage. We are going to seize this opportunity and make maximum use of it because at the end of the day, we are going to plough back whatever we must have made by extending various amenities to different areas under our local government. So, to that extent, I want to implore you some more to be cooperative with our revenue officers when you see them.
Jaji went further by thanking the brains behind the initiative, Growth and Employment in States (GEMS3), for coming up with such a creative idea that is meant to make things easy for everybody.
He said, “When I first heard about this initiative, I was very sceptical thinking they are one of those contractors that want to make their money but I can tell you categorically that up till now, GEMS3 is yet to demand anything from the council. This is a very unique development in Nigeria. To that extent, we say thank you for this initiative while also asking for more of such from you that can be of benefit to us and the people at large.”
Also speaking at the launch, one of the representatives of Eco Bank which is also a partner of the council on the PoP, Margaret Fawibe, congratulated the people of the council as the introduction of the PoP will finally make life easier for them in terms of payment of levies and rates.
She said, “I have to congratulate you because with this initiative, there is nothing like rogue revenue collectors coming to you to collect revenue on daily basis on behalf of the council which will not be relayed to the council’s account and which might lead to argument and misunderstanding between you and the council. With this, once you make payment, a receipt will be printed out on the spot by the PoP and you can be rest assured that you have indeed made payment, which will go straight into the coffers of the council.”
“This will in turn empower the council to provide the necessary amenities that will make life easy for all and sundry. So, let us cooperate with all the revenue officers. We have launched this in Ikeja local government, Ejigbo local government and two other local governments and it is working very well. You can be rest assured that EcoBank will support the local government, the market women and in fact, everybody to make sure that life is easier for all,” She concluded.
