More than 72 civil society organisations have thrown their full support behind the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji, describing recent allegations from some groups as baseless and driven by malice.

In a joint press conference held in Abuja, the Convener of the coalition and National Coordinator of the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CFTPI), Ibrahim Bello, said the group was not surprised by what it described as “sponsored attacks” on Dr Adedeji.

According to him, certain individuals who do not wish the nation well were attempting to undermine reforms that are crucial to Nigeria’s economic growth.

The coalition also disclosed that it had written a strongly worded petition to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, alleging that some lawmakers were lending support to groups bent on distracting the FIRS chairman and, by extension, sabotaging President Bola Tinubu’s economic agenda.

The letter, they said, highlighted documented achievements recorded by Dr. Adedeji since his appointment and urged the Speaker to caution members who were “becoming clogs in the wheel of national progress.”

Representatives of the participating civil society organisations, including Fatima Sani of Citizens Watch for Good Governance, Barr. Chukwudi Eze of the Accountability and Democratic Values Initiative; Dr Ngozi Okeke of the Nigerian Coalition Against Corruption and Waste; and others from regional and sector-based transparency groups stressed that the ongoing reforms at the FIRS had unsettled individuals who previously benefited from loopholes in the tax system.

They said these reforms had significantly boosted government revenue and contributed to economic stability.

“It is unfortunate that some groups have been paid to launch a smear campaign against the FIRS chairman,” the coalition stated.

“We convened this press briefing because we cannot sit back and watch a few individuals attempt to tarnish the image of a dedicated public servant whose work has strengthened Nigeria’s revenue base and supported development initiatives across the country.”

The CSOs said their independent findings showed that the allegations circulating in the media were fabricated and motivated by vested interests uncomfortable with the ongoing changes within the revenue agency.

They urged Nigerians to disregard what they described as “a web of lies” aimed at derailing reforms that are already yielding positive results.

“This is a man who has instituted crucial reforms, blocked leakages and repositioned the tax system to improve national revenue,” they said.

“An attack on Adedeji is, in many ways, an attack on the economic agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, because the success of this administration relies heavily on the efficiency of the Revenue Service.”