From Steve Oni, Ilorin

 The Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) has disclosed that it generated revenue to the tune of N4.3billion in the third quarter of 2016. It also affirmed that it was still expecting some money from one or two other areas that would shore up the revenue for the third quarter.

 With this figure,the agency which began operation in January 2016 had so far raked in the total sum of N12.5 billion as against the total amount of N7.2 billion generated in 2015 under the defunct revenue board.

 The increase in revenue generation, according the Agency's Chairman, Murtala Awodun, represents 114 percent increase.

 The Agency's Chairman, Dr. Murtala Awodun, made the disclosure while briefing select journalists in Ilorin, the state capital, on Wednesday on the activities of the agency in the third quarter covering the months of July, August and September 2016.

 He said the growth in the IGR was a "result of blockage of leakages which had been a major hindrance to revenue generation in Kwara state."

 Giving a quarterly breakdown of  revenue generated in the last three quarters of 2016, Awodun said the sum of N3.3 billion was realised in the first quarter, N4.9 in the second quarter and N4.3 billion in the third quarter, optimistic that the last quarter starting from this October would witness an upsurge.

 The KWIRS boss said the agency had made a monthly commitment of N500 million to the state Infrastructure Development  Fund recently launched by the state governor.

 He said: "This will ensure that money realised through taxes and revenue were ploughed to the development of Kwara state and people will also be happy to see their money at work".

 Awodun, who said the agency is embarking  on various intervention programmes under its Community Impact Corporate Social Responsibility Programmes with the focus on Education, Environment, Enterprise and Employment, added that the agency had taken 528 people out of unemployment  by creating jobs for them at various levels including consultancy services.