The Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) has received two international certificates for standard, quality and continuity, the first by any state revenue service in Nigeria.

They are ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management System which implies that the service has demonstrated commitment towards continual improvements in customer satisfaction, productivity, and efficiency, while the ISO 22301: 2012 Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) Certification indicates that the service is resilient and secured towards disruptions, incidents and threats.

Speaking during the presentation of the certificates to him by the Executive Chairman of KWIRS, Dr Murtala Awodun at Government House, Ilorin, the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed said the outcome of the evaluation was a strong pointer that the state and indeed KWIRS are in the right direction in its revenue drive.

Governor Ahmed emphasised the need for a nexus between tax collection and application, stressing that the government would ensure efficient utilisation of revenue to drive growth and development in the state. He said the certificates would serve as an incentive to drive revenues further, explore other untapped areas and ensure efficiency in collection.

Alhaji Ahmed commended Awodun, the management and staff of KWIRS for the feat and charged them to sustain the tempo.

Earlier, Awodun explained that the service embarked on the certification having recognised the need to scale up its performance despite its recent achievements in revenue generation and management.

In his remarks, the representative of Canada-based Professional Evaluation and Certification Board (PECB) an international organisation for standardisation, Mr Olumide Ajibawo, said the KWIRS had been appraised twice and found operating within the international best practices by building resilience and reducing risk in business and had demonstrated that it could stand the test of time.