- Fowler’s Man Booted Out
By Adeyera Damilola
In a dramatic shake-up, the new Executive Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue (FIRS), Muhammad Nami has initiated the process of transferring about 50 directors, 50 deputy directors and assistant directors nationwide.
Also, over 100 employees of the tax Agency were said to have been affected in the massive shake-up across several departments.
The shake-up, according to sources, became necessary as Nami, sets his eye on hitting the N8.5trillion target for 2020.
A circular signed by the Director Human Capital Management Department, Victor Ekundayo, dated December 31, 2019, revealed that five out of the 50 directors hit by this shake-up will make up the Interim Management Team alongside the executive chairman. The former Coordinating Director, Compliance Enforcement Group, Cyriacus Ekechi, who became the Transition Lead Compliance Support Group: Aishiekh Maidugu, Director, Planning Reporting and Statistics, who is now Special Assistant Special Duties to the Executive Chairman; and Femi Oluwaniyi, Director Debt Management, who is now Transition Lead, Domestic Taxes Group.
Kudu Mohammed, Assistant Director, Project Management Office (e- Services), who is now Special Advisor to the Executive Chairman and Abdullahi Ismaila, Special Assistant Service and Communication to the FIRS Chairman are the five directors who would join the FIRS boss, Namu, to form the interim management team.
The New Diplomat recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2019, failed to renew the appointment of former FIRS Chairman, Babatunde Fowler following the expiration of his tenure, over the Agency’s failure to meet up with the country’s revenue target since 2015.
According to a Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, due to low revenue been generated by the FIRS, the government had “no choice but to borrow to carry out essential projects.” This led to the eventual ousting of Fowler.
With the arrival of the new FIRS boss, Nami and the ongoing reshuffling, the former Secretary JTB, Oseni Elamah, a former Chairman, Edo State Internal Revenue Service, and a key JTB figure before and after the Fowler years has been booted out of the agency.
Others are Victor Ekundayo of Human Capital Department, who moved to the Career and Skills Development Department; Innocent Ohagwa of the Special Tax Audit Lagos, who replaced Mr Ekundayo; Gbolaga Oshiga formerly of Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, who moved to Revenue House Abuja as Director Tax Audit; Mohammed Abubakar, formerly Coordinating Director, Tax Appeal Tribunal who is now Secretary, Joint Tax Board, JTB.
Sanni Dahiru, an Assistant Director at the State Coordinator’s Office, in Charge of Kogi, FCT and Nasarawa replaced Mohammed Abubakar. From Kano, Pam Davou, a Director, and State Coordinator in charge of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States was asked to come in as Director, Collections at the Headquarters. Najim Ajila, the former Director, Audit replaced Mr Oluwaniyi in Debt Collection, while Joel Ogohi, a Deputy Director replaced Mr Oshiga as State Coordinator, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu States.
Others moved include David Ogedemgbe, Head Large Tax Audit, who became State Coordinator, Lagos Island; Shetimma, Tamadi, a Deputy Director from the office of the State Coordinator, Benue Kaduna and Niger, became State Coordinator for the states; Lucky Obodoekeh Chukwu, Deputy Director, Head Oil and Gas ( Downstream) became Head, Large Tax Audit; Umar Aminu Galadanchi of Large Tax Office, Kano became the State Coordinator Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States; Muazu Garba, Assistant Director, Training School, became State Coordinator, Oil and Gas (Downstream); Etsu Mohammmed Madami, State Coordinator, Kebbi Sokoto and Zamfara moved to Borno, Plateau, Bauchi and Yobe in the same position; Peter Alfred, Assistant Director, Large Tax Office in Lagos, is now Head Special Tax Audit Lagos; Yerima Silas, Assistant Director, Large Tax Office Lagos ( Non-Oil) moved to Kano to head the Large Tax Audit Office.
Four other managers were also moved.
Adebayo Kayode, Director Investigations, was moved to Special Investigations Department, while Idris Ndanusa, a fresh Director was hired and posted to INTERNAL Affairs Department, Chukwuemeka Obiagwu, formerly of Enforcement Department is now in the Enforcement Unit, Office of the Executive Chairman, Ozavize Winfrul, a Deputy Director of the Compliance unit in the Chairman’s office moves to Compliance Research, Simon Kato a Deputy Director and Special Assistant, Office of the Chairman moved to Domestic Taxes Group, Group, Odekunle John Oluwatoyin, an Assistant Director and former Chief of Staff to the former Executive Chairman was transferred to Enforcement Unit in the Office of the Transition Lead Enforcement and Compliance Group, Maupatin Olatundun, formerly the Special Adviser to the Executive Chairman was moved to Tax Audit Department; Olufemi Akinfala, formerly Head, Research and Development Department was moved to Planning Research and Statistics Department; Oyebanji Matthew, Deputy Director Special Tax Audit, Lagos, became Tax Controller Oil and Gas, Lagos, while Muazu Garba, an Assistant Director, Tax Controller Oil and Gas (Downstream) was moved to Tax Investigation Department.
Orebanjo Adebola an Assistant Director at Relationship Management Unit, Lagos was moved to Large Tax Office, Non Oil, and Aniko Emmanuel was also moved to Large Tax Oil and Gas.
Two other Assistant Directors: Oluwa- Ameenat Badmus and Oluola Adedayo were moved from Relationship Management Unit to State Coordinator’s office.
Speaking on the development on Sunday, the FIRS spokesperson, Wahab Gbaddamosi told an online medium that the massive shake-up is a “normal internal staff transfers in FIRS.
“The FIRS Human Resource policy, which says that any staff that has done four years in a position can be moved around approves such movements. In any case, any decision a new management feels can enhance revenue generation capacity towards realizing set targets is normal. There is nothing special about it.” He said.
