By Augustine Akanigha
The Delta State House of Assembly has in an emergency sitting, presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon Ochor Christopher Ochor approved a request by the Delta State Government to Submit Documents required for the Recovery and Refund of the Backlog of Stamp Duties between January 2015 to December 2022 from the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The approval was given by the House on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, sequel to a letter sent to the House by the Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa requesting approval to submit relevant documents to the Governors Forum, on or before Wednesday, April 12, 2023.
According to the letter, the necessary documents to be submitted by the respective state governments regarding the Stamp Duties Recovery and Refund are a letter of consent for the deduction of consultancy fee at source, Resolutions/Approval of the State Executive Council, and Resolution of the State House of Assembly in support of the process, which must be submitted on or before Wednesday 12th April, 2023.
It further stated that the state wishes to take the advantage of the window of opportunity, by actively pursuing the process of accessing funds that had hitherto been denied the state, which can be utilized for significant developmental projects in the state.
The approval request which was moved by the Majority leader, Hon Ferguson Onwo, and was seconded by the Minority Leader, Hon Innocent Anidi, was in line with the request by the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, for States to submit the said documents for necessary action.
