News
Revenue Collection As a Strategic, Effective Tools To Restructure Nigeria
BY MUSA ILALLAH
EMEKA ANYAOKU STREET ABUJA musahk123@yahoo.com
Acronymed “FIRS”, the Federal Inland Revenue Service has stood out since its rebirth in 2019 under the leadership of its Executive Chairman, Muhammad Mamman Nami as one more agency of government working hard for the benefit of all Nigerians. Indeed FIRS broke the jinx and did wonders for the country by raising the revenue collection bar every year since his coming on board.
In 2021, the FIRS Chairman told Nigerians that the service collected N6.405 trillion in tax revenue for the year 2021, surpassing its target by more than 100%. What a great, incredible success, that was.
Since its creation in 1947, the FIRS had never crossed the six-trillion mark till Muhammad Nami took over the reins of the Service.
In 2022, the FIRS did not rest on its 2021 achievement but in fact added over 3 trillion Naira to its total tax collection for the year.
The FIRS, in the year 2022 collected a total of N10.1 trillion comprising of both N4.09 trillion from oil and N5.96 trillion from non-oil sectors. This is notably a paradigm shift from the country’s reliance on oil to the non-oil sector.
But for the various tax waivers FIRS granted under various respective laws amounting to N1.8 trillion, the revenue collection would have reached N12 trillion in 2022. Undoubtedly, the FIRS Performance Report for 2022 is unprecedented in the history of the country’s revenue collection.
Providing perspective to this unprecedented tax collection, the FIRS noted in its 2022 Performance Update that the Muhammad Nami-led management on assumption of office adopted a four-point focus to aggressively and patriotically pursue tax collection as a “task that must be done”.
They include administrative and operational restructuring; making the service customer-focused; creating a data-centric institution; and improving its stakeholder relations.
From the 2022 Performance Report, Companies Income Tax contributed N2.83 trillion; Value Added Tax, N2.51 trillion; Electronic Money Transfer Levy, N125.67 billion while Earmarked Taxes contributed a total of N353.69 billion.
It is the first time that the FIRS will cross the 10-trillion Naira mark in tax revenue collection largely due to the foresight and determination of Mr. Muhammad Nami to make the difference in the country.
Some strategies the FIRS under Mr Nami’s leadership had adopted include strategic administrative and operational reforms; implementation of new policies towards improving FIRS capacity towards the fulfilment of its mandate, and appropriate deployment of technology for tax administration.
A look at FIRS tax revenue collection showed that in 2019 it collected N5.32 trillion; in
2020, it was N4.9 trillion and in 2021 it was N6.405 trillion.
Speaking on the outlook for 2023, Mr. Nami had in confidence stated that the Service would build on the current reforms, achieve full automation and continue to establish a resilient Service that would continue to provide sustainable tax revenue to fund the government.
“We intend to maintain, and even improve on the momentum in 2023,” he stated.
“Our goal is to identify more areas where we can improve upon in the delivery and efficiency of collection; plug loopholes, while deploying innovative reforms in data and artificial intelligence.”
Also a critical evaluation of 2022’s Company Income Tax records showed a significant hike in taxes paid by companies across the board.
For example, tax from firms in the information and communication sector rose by 158.51% from N51.05 billion in the 3rd quarter of 2021 to N131.97 billion in the corresponding period in 2022.
In the same vein, manufacturers paid the most taxes during the period in review, as the Federal Government increased the number of taxes collectable by the Federal Inland Revenue Services from 39 to 61 items.
It is my candid view that government can effectively use FIRS as a springboard for strategic and effective restructuring of the country’s economy.
All said and done, FIRS has proved that given the right leadership, support and resources, government agencies can be relied upon to patriotically generate money for it to deliver on its mandate on service delivery.
Undoubtedly, FIRS has witnessed serious transformation under the leadership of Mr. Nami since his appointment as its Executive Chairman.
Nollywood star Annie Idibia opens up about life after her separation from music legend 2Baba. The actress reveals her daughters, Isabella and Olivia, are her strongest source of strength and emotional support.
She expressed her feelings during a red carpet interview at the Headies Awards, the actress spoke openly about how her daughters, Isabella and Olivia, have become her greatest pillar of strength during this emotional transition.
Her candid conversation sparked widespread admiration from fans, especially for the way she continues to prioritise her family and remain grounded amid personal turmoil.
During the emotional exchange at the prestigious awards show, Annie made it clear that her daughters are not just her children but the centre of her universe. She described Isabella and Olivia as her “only family” and her “backbone”, highlighting the deep bond she shares with them.
Annie shared her message in Pidgin English: “My children dey Kampe. The first one dey Yankee, she dey go school. No play with that girl o. I don’t play with my kids. Na them be my backbone.”
The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced plans to establish a centralised system for the authentication and verification of all travel documents in Nigeria.
He made this known during a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday with the United Kingdom’s Minister of State, David Hanson.
In the company of Hanson were delegates from the UK Home Office, National Crime Agency, and the British High Commission.
According to Tunji-Ojo, the initiative aims to tackle immigration and document fraud, particularly those associated with border control.
“We discovered that one of the key drivers of rising document fraud is the absence of a centralised, real-time verification system,” he said.
“Currently, if someone submits 20 documents, you may need to contact 20 different issuing agencies to verify them. That breeds inefficiency.”
He explained that the proposed system would allow real-time verification of all documents—such as bank statements, passports, and certificates—at a single centre.
The minister also said Nigeria was ready to take the lead in formulating a regional strategy for border control, noting that regional differences required customised approaches.
“To tackle a heterogeneous problem with a homogeneous approach will not work,” Tunji-Ojo stated.
“That’s why we’re planning a regional border conference to allow for the development of unified yet adaptable strategies to combat migration and border-related challenges.”
He further disclosed that Nigeria’s EU visa solution platform would go live on May 1.
According to him, this will allow for more efficient processing and international cooperation while safeguarding national security and promoting investment.
“We now have a policy that ensures a response—approval or rejection—within 24 to 48 hours of applying for an EU visa,” he said.
Speaking on President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, Tunji-Ojo emphasised the administration’s commitment to preventing corruption rather than merely reacting to it.
“Our performance will be judged not by the number of convictions or recoveries but by how many crimes or frauds we prevent,” he said.
In his remarks, Hanson expressed the UK’s readiness to continue collaborating with Nigeria to improve criminal justice outcomes.
Hanson noted that the UK was reviewing its e-visa system and migration policies while exploring ways to expand trade, business, and skills development opportunities with Nigeria.
“My colleagues at the High Commission are eager to maintain strong engagement with the Nigerian government,” he said
According to him, the UK looks forward to enhancing cooperation in tackling crime and fraud.
“You can rest assured that the National Crime Agency, the High Commission, and the Home Office are ready to extend a hand of partnership,” he said.
….Says Atiku on his way out of PDP
…It was against my people’s will
Former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has revealed that ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar is preparing to leave the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Recall that, Atiku was the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, with Okowa as his running mate.
On March 20, 2023, the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, a former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai and others jointly announced the creation of a coalition to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
The move has sparked ongoing discussions about the potential for a united opposition, with political leaders expressing varied opinions.
Speaking on Arise News on Tuesday, Okowa—who officially joined the All Progressives Congress on Monday—expressed regret for not aligning with his people in supporting a southern candidate in 2023 instead of accepting the role as Atiku’s running mate. He said, “Even when we were campaigning, I realised our people were not interested in having another northerner come into power.
“But the decision had already been taken at the federal level by the party, and I had been nominated. Still, in retrospect, I now believe I should have gone with the will of my people.”
He added that the election of the current Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, proves that the people still have confidence in their leadership.
Okowa added, “That showed the people still believed in us, believed in me. They said you’ve done well, and we will support the governor you have chosen. And they did.”
When asked about his communication with Atiku before leaving the PDP, Okowa responded, “I actually did communicate with him that we were going to have stakeholders meetings this week (in the last week) and that it was going to be a leadership meeting and the outcome of that meeting was going to determine our next path because we were no longer comfortable with the PDP.
“And I also know that he is already heading out of the PDP from the communications he has passed on to me, and that Nigerians know already.”