Anthony Idigbe, SAN Named Delta Chamber Of Commerce President
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Dr Anthony Idigbe, has been named president of the Delta Association of Chamber of Commerce Industry, Mines and Agriculture (DACCIMA).
The Delta government expressed its readiness to partner with the association to drive an industrial revolution in the state.
Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Patrick Ukah, speaking at Idigbe’s investiture ceremony in Asaba, the state capital, called on DACCIMA to support the government in creating a more conducive environment for businesses to thrive.
Ukah, who chaired the event, highlighted efforts by the Ifeanyi Okowa Administration to end multiple taxations in the state.
Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Mr. Churchill Amagada, added that some of the concerns raised by the organised private sector have been addressed through the harmonisation of tax receipts by the Board of Internal Revenue.
Idigbe said he would build on the legacies of his predecessors in boosting Delta’s economy.
“My vision for the association is encapsulated in these words: ‘To build the most formidable platform for the fourth industrial revolution in Delta State.’
“Our problem here in the state is that we have oil and it is practically a curse by all intent and purposes because it is a resource that would eventually expire.”
The SAN, who is the Senior Partner at Punuka Attorneys and Solicitors, urged the state government to deploy resources in non-oil business ventures in the state.
He said: “We want an ultramodern trade fair complex in Osubi and other parts of the state; we are demanding it from the government.
“DACCIMA will manage it and ensure that it is run according to international best practice.”
Decorating Idigbe as the new leader of the association, the immediate-past president of DACCIMA, Chief Willams Makinde, urged all members and executives to cooperate and support the new president.
In a lecture titled: “Impact of multiple taxations in the industrial development of Delta State,” Prof Abiola Sanni (SAN) of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) called for structural reforms of the tax system to enable local governments to generate sufficient revenue to finance their expenditure.
He charged DACCIMA to set the agenda and lead dynamic tax reforms in the state, track fiscal developments and seek to influence laws.
He also urged the association to take legal steps to curb multiple taxations while recommending that the Federal Government should limit its incursion in the fiscal turf of the state government.
DACCIMA presented awards of recognition to some dignitaries at the event, Chief Makinde, Rear Admiral Andrew Okoja; Group Managing Director of Rainoil Limited Dr. Gabriel Ogbeche; and the Vice Chancellor of Delta State University, Abraka, Prof Andy Egwunyenga.
Others include Davidson Uvietowhado, an engineer; Chief Brodericks Arigbodi, Dr Ezekiel Idiakhoa, and Dr Austin Egbegbadia.
