FIRS restates commitment to anti-corruption fight

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has expressed readiness to take the war against corruption to any length. This it said was to entrench transparency and accountability in tax collection processes and operations.

Chairman of FIRS, Zacch Adedeji, who stated this at the inauguration of a 12-member Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) in the service said there is zero tolerance for unethical acts and corruption within the revenue-collecting agency.

The body, which is to collaborate with anti-graft agencies, was inaugurated by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) at the Revenue House in Abuja, yesterday.

Speaking at the event, Adedeji, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Tayo Koleosho, urged the newly inducted members of the anti-corruption unit to live above board, saying “He who comes to equity must come with clean hands.”

Adedeji charged members of the unit to reflect the core values of the agency which he said abhor corruption, tasking them to bring integrity and transparency to bear in their roles and responsibilities.

According to him, “The easy part of being a member of the FIRS anti-corruption unit has just been done. The real work starts now.

“The staff of FIRS and by extension, the taxpayers as well as the general public should be able to relate with the integrity you bring to this responsibility.”

The Coordinating Director, Support Services Group, Mohammed Lawal Abubakar, noted that the FIRS will continue to provide support for the anti-corruption unit and urged the inductees to be good examples of people imbued with honesty and integrity.

ICPC chairman of the ICPC, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, who was represented by the Director, System Study and Review of ICPC, Olusegun Adigun, said the FIRS ACTU members would be supported to deliver on their mandate.

“With this inauguration, the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit of the FIRS has been empowered to deliver on its mandate which includes: periodic sensitisation of staff on the ills of corruption, examination of systems, processes and procedures that are prone to corruption and offering solutions, developing and reviewing code of ethics for staff and ensuring compliance with same, monitoring budget and its implementation by the FIRS, coordinating the deployment of the ethics and integrity scorecards and undertaking a preliminary investigation into complaints and reports received.

“The ACTU is not set up as a parallel authority to the management. Rather, they are to work closely with the management to build a reputable agency. I, therefore, implore the FIRS to see the unit in this light and support it by providing a conducive environment for it to function, provide funds and office accommodation as well as incorporate members in various standing committees as contained in the extant circular of the Federal Government,” said the ICPC chief.

The Director of the anti-corruption unit, HajiaSa’adatuYero, praised Adedeji for being truly intentional about strengthening the anti-corruption unit.