The former Group Managing Director of
Diamond Bank Plc, Dr Alex Otti, has called on
governors of the South East states to refrain
from using contractors in their revenue
drive.
Speaking on Wednesday at the ongoing
Enugu State Investment Summit, Otti said
that the time was rife for the chief
executives of the states to harmonise their
tax regimes to attract investors.
The former governorship candidate in Abia
who spoke on South East Economic
Integration with the theme: “Finance
Opportunities for Regional Integration,”
said that businesses in the area had
suffered setbacks.
“Most states contract out their revenue
drive thereby using tax to torment people.
In most cases, investors are scared.
“They may think that they are generating
revenue for their states without knowing
that they are scaring investors away,” he
said.
Otti said that the state governments needed
to create the enabling environment for
businesses to thrive.
He said that the time had come for the state
governors to work together to develop the
region as an economic hub.
“The situation in the South East needs
thinking outside the box if only our
governors will realise this.
“Our leaders should get out of the negative
mindset, share services together and pay
more attention to agriculture,” he said.
He said that Enugu and Anambra states had
shown commitments in transforming their
states through quality leadership.
“I am not too sure all the states in the zone
boast of the type of leadership Enugu has
had.
“The truth is that it is because of my
realistic stand that I had to give up the job
that I was doing to see how I could
contribute my own quota to salvage my
state.
“This is not a political forum, but if you visit
my state you will not be happy if you relate
it to what is happening in Anambra and
Enugu states,” he said.
Otti said that what the zone needed was
pragmatic leadership that should think on
how to leverage on the resources in their
area for the benefit of the people.
“It is ridiculous that the South East which
sits on gas deposits does not benefit from
gas gathering facilities.
“We should think of a way to do businesses
together and not fighting ourselves,” Otti
said. https://www.today.ng/news/national/106092/stop-using-heavy-tax-scare-investors-otti-tells-seast-govs