One of the strategies adopted by the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KW-IRS) to add value to the revenue collection process is its Community Impact Programme (CIP). It is a programme geared towards reaching out to the residents of Kwara by way of value addition to the revenue collection. The Community Impact Programme is an innovation of the Chairman of the Service Dr MuritalaAwodun who maintains that it is not just about collecting revenue. The programme is built around what he calls the Five Es; Education, Employment, Enterprise, Environment and .

The Service therefore introduced CIP in their monthly activities with the first one in January 2016, which was targeted at clearing the Ipata Market of its dump. The January CIP was consequently on resolving environmental challenge.

In the month of March Education wasearmarked as a give back avenue to positively impact the lives of Kwarans. Thus, the Community Impact programme by the Service for the month of March 2016 cantered on the realization of this. Four schools from four Local Government Areas (LGA) were selected randomly to benefit from the March CIP; Eiyenkorin LGEA School, BudoEgba in Asa Local Government Area, Ifedapo LGEA School, Bala, inIlorin South LGA,Community LGEA Primary School, Koko, Ifelodun LGA and Community LGEA School, Falokun, Irepodun LGA.

To perform this charitable task, Dr. Muritala Awodun, the Executive Chairman of KW-IRS led the management and staff of KW-IRS to these Local Government Areas.

The team arrived Eiyenkorin LGEA School at 9.25 am on 17 March 2016 to a rosy welcome by staff and pupils of the school. In his opening address at Eiyenkorin LGEA School, which was the first stop over of KW-IRS, Dr. Muritala Awodun emphasized the fact that KW-IRS will through its Community Impact Program kit school pupils by the provision of school uniforms, school sandals and school bags for pupils of the schools.

The Executive Chairman, KW-IRS educated the pupils of Eiyenkorin LGEA School on the duties of KW-IRS which is to collect revenue for the development of Kwara State. He acquainted the pupils on the reason for the presents given to them by KW-IRS, which is to inculcate studious habit in them, lure other children who refused education to get educated and also motivate parents to pay tax. He further taught them the slogan of KW-IRS which is ‘Play your part, pay your tax’. He converted the slogan to a song for the school children and encouraged them to sing it to their parents when they get home and also inform their parent of their need to pay tax.

Full of appreciation for the gesture extended to the pupils of Eiyenkorin LGEA School, the Head Teacher of the school, Mrs. Afolayan lauded the efforts of the Kwara state Internal Revenue Service for impacting the educational sector, she said the school bags given to the pupils of her school will go a long way to encouraging them to be studious. She appreciated the Executive Chairman and the management of KW-IRS for selecting Eiyenkorin LGEA School, BudoEgba, Asa LGEA as one of the benefactor of the charitable task.

Mrs Afolayan also used the opportunity to appeal to the Kwara State government through the Executive Chairman KW-IRS to come to the aid of the school. She itemized their needs, which include provision of classrooms, roofing of the two blocks of classrooms abandoned for lack of funds, provision of furniture, and relevant books for the pupils, provision of water supply and toilet facility. She decries the state of the school classrooms at the moment, which is dilapidated, and not even enough for the pupils as Primary 6 pupils have no classroom to use and study under the tree while primary two and three classes are forced to share one classroom. She said the raining season is here now and the school really needs assistance fast in these areas.

In his response, Dr. Awodun promised to communicate the needs of Eiyenkorin Community LGEA School to the government. He said one of the missions of KW-IRS is to get feedback for the government on the need of the people that requires urgent attention and advise the government appropriately.

The Executive Chairman, KW-IRS and his team thereafter headed for Ifedapo LGEA School, Bala, Ilorin South LGA. The pupils of Ifedapo LGEA were all given the KW-IRS branded school bags. He assured them that the Uniform and school sandals will be ready in one month.

The Head Teacher of the school Alhaji Baderudeen Ibrahim was grateful to the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KW-IRS) for reaching out to his pupils. He sees the school bag gifts to the pupils an on time need as most of the pupils come to school putting their books and writing materials in their hands or inside polythene bags. He therefore used the opportunity to plead for assistance from the government through the Executive Chairman, KW-IRS for provision of furniture for the pupils of the school. He said 70% of the pupils in his school receive lectures sitting on the floor. He said teaching could only be effective when the environment is conducive for learning. He also requested for assistance in the area of textbooks supply for the pupils, water supply and toilet facility for the school.

Community LGEA Primary School, Koko, Ifepodun LGA was the third school invaded by KW-IRS team led by its Executive Chairman, Dr. Muritala Awodun. The school pupils of the above mentioned school were also given KW-IRS branded school bags.

The Head Teacher in charge, Mr. Sauta Baba Yahaya appreciated KW-IRS for impacting the pupils of Community LGEA School, Koko. He said school bag is one of the major needs of the pupils as most of them come to school carrying their books and writing materials in their hand. He also appealed to the Executive Chairman to also assist the school by providing teaching materials, relevant books, and furniture and toilet facility for the school.

Community LGEA School, Falokun, Irepodun LGA was the last school visited for Community Impact programme of the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service for the month of March 2016. All the pupils benefitted from the school bags presentation by KW-IRS team. The Head Teacher of the school was full of appreciation for the kind gesture extended to the school. She also pleaded with the Kwara State Government to provide relevant textbooks for the school, furniture, toilet facility and perimeter fencing for the safety and security of the pupils.

Indeed the March CIP of KW-IRS was an impactful one that put smiles on the faces of hundreds of pupils from Four Local Government Areas of the State. School bags were presented to all the pupils and tailors who are to provide the school uniforms and school sandals were around to take the measurements and sizes of the pupils. They were given a month to deliver the School Uniform and school sandals to all the pupils.

The executive chairman of KW-IRS in a statement at the Revenue House after the CIP stated that the exercise was a continuous one. He assured that all Local Government Areas would benefit from this laudable programme.

When asked if the programme was limited to primary schools alone, Dr Awodun explained that the CIP would be extended to the Secondary School through the establishment of the TAX CLUB in all our Senior Secondary Schools. He explained that the CIP has a dual motive of adding value to the revenue collection process and also sending the message of the need to play our part by paying our taxes to parents of these children. He added that it would also develop the need to be responsive to our civic responsibilities early in the lives of our children who are our future.