The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has said the ongoing legal battle between Rivers State Government and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on the Value Added Tax (VAT) will strengthen the rule of law.
He said the state’s decision to seek judicial interpretation on VAT collection was aimed at deepening democracy.
Wike spoke when the Managing Director of BusinessDay newspaper, Dr. Ogho Okiti, led a delegation to present a letter of nomination to him as the “BusinessDay Most Impactful Governor Award” at Government House, Port Harcourt.
The governor appreciated the management of the newspaper for acknowledging the numerous projects his administration executed since 2015 and dedicated the award to the entire people of Rivers.
Wike stated that he was concerned about ensuring the application of the rule of law in the country as much as the implementation of physical projects in the state.
He said: “I am happy today that the Attorney-General (of the Federation) has gone to the Supreme Court to sue the Rivers State government over VAT. Now that the Attorney General has gone to court, we are happy.
“But, nobody wants to talk about him dividing the country. It is only when the Rivers State government goes to court that they will say we want to divide the country.
“There is nothing wrong in interpreting the law. The judiciary has been given an assignment and they took an oath of office to interpret the law.”
