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Tag: FIRS

  • ‘We owe you nothing’- FIRS knocks Wike over office closure

    ‘We owe you nothing’- FIRS knocks Wike over office closure

    The Federal Inland Revenue Service has said it was wrong for the Federal Capital Territory Administration to shut down one of its offices in Abuja, stating that no amount is being owed as ground rent.

    The agency described the action as “malicious” and “unprofessional.”

    In a statement released via X (formerly Twitter), Aderonke Atoyebi, Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the FIRS Executive Chairman, accused the FCTA of unfairly targeting the agency.

    He said it is highly unprofessional the Wike-led FCTA to close its office, disrupting members of staff from performing their duties when it has done nothing wrong.

    She said, “It is highly unprofessional of the Wike-led FCTA to close our office, disrupting staff from performing their duties when we have done nothing wrong, especially during a crucial week as we prepare to sign the Tax Reform Bills. FCTA, you have erred gravely; FIRS owes you nothing,” Atoyebi asserted.

    She further accused the FCTA of attempting to use FIRS as a scapegoat, adding, “If you are looking for a fall guy, look elsewhere. We should not be your scapegoat when you know full well that the falsehoods you spread in the media and your malicious, illegal actions will harm our operations.”

    Atoyebi maintained that the agency has no outstanding rent payments to the FCTA for the past 25 years and insisted that all obligations had been settled up to 2023. “We have the evidence,” she emphasised, pushing back against claims of indebtedness.

    According to her, the incident comes at a critical juncture for Nigeria’s tax system, with major reform legislation expected to be finalised soon.

    She warned that such disruptions could undermine public confidence and delay the implementation of key fiscal policies.

  • Just in: FCTA seals FIRS office, bank, fuel station over unpaid ground rent

    Just in: FCTA seals FIRS office, bank, fuel station over unpaid ground rent

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration, on Monday, seals an Access Bank branch and a Total petrol station located in Zone 6, Wuse, Abuja, over non-payment of ground rent spanning 34 years.

    The property occupied by Access Bank is officially allocated to Rana Tahir Furniture Nigeria Limited, not the bank directly, according to official documents.

    A letter dated March 13, 2025, signed by the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, stated: “The Minister of Federal Capital Territory has in the exercise of powers conferred on him under the Land Use Act No. 6 of 1978, Cap. L5, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, revoked your rights, interests and privileges over Plot No. 2456 within Wuse I, Cadastral Zone A02, Abuja.”

    The letter cited the continued default in ground rent payment as the reason for the revocation

    The revocation is in view of your continued contravention of the terms and conditions of grant of the Right of Occupancy by failing to pay the annual ground rents due on the property for Thirty-Four (34) years,” it stated.

    FCTA also shut down the Federal Inland Revenue Service office in Abuja for similar violations.

    The closures are part of a larger enforcement campaign targeting defaulting property owners across the FCT.

    According to officials, several notices and publications have been issued since 2023, warning all allottees to clear outstanding ground rent obligations.

  • Senate threatens to fire heads of FIRS, NNPCL, NCS, CBN, others

    Senate threatens to fire heads of FIRS, NNPCL, NCS, CBN, others

    The Senate has expressed concern over consistent failure of some critical revenue generating agencies to respond to expenditure queries raised by Office of Auditor-General for the Federation, (OAGF).

    It also vowed to report and recommend sack of the chief executives of such agencies to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appropriate action.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Sen. Aliyu Wadada, said these at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday.

    He said there was the need for the agencies to account for the funds appropriated by the National Assembly, in line  with legislative provisions that empowers the parliament to carry out oversight responsibilities.

    Wadada said that the auditor-general’s report which had been submitted to the committee raised significant queries on the expenditure of some of the agencies.

    He listed some of the agencies that failed to appear before the committee to answer to the audit queries to include: Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, (NNPCL), among others.

    The lawmaker said that the senate would report heads of such agencies to the president after providing them with another opportunity to answer to the queries.

    “All efforts to get Nigeria Customs Service to the table to know how this happen proved abortive.

    “It is important for Nigerians to know what happened under “ways and means”, why Central Bank of Nigeria debited borrower and credited borrower.

    “Central Bank of Nigeria debited consolidated revenue funds account and credited treasury single account which amounted to over N30 trillion.

    “Consolidated revenue funds account is government account, and the TSA is also government account.

    “And in charging the interest, instead of the interest to be charged to treasury account, they went ahead again to charge the treasury account.

    “They also went ahead to the treasury account and charged the consolidated revenue funds account, which now have amounted to over N6 trillion.

    “There were correspondences among the committee, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy and the Debt Management Office (DMO) because of the faulty document which they were not ready to answer and have been evasive,” he said.

    Wadada said that the report of the auditor-general for the federation which queried the agencies covered 2019 till date.

    He also alleged that Nigeria Satellite Communications Limited had been invited for about nine times, but failed to appear, adding that Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority also fell into the category.

  • NASS excited as FIRS, Interior Ministry surpass 2024 revenue target

    NASS excited as FIRS, Interior Ministry surpass 2024 revenue target

    The National Assembly has lauded the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Zacch Adedeji, for exceeding the 2024 revenue collection target of N19.4 trillion.

    FIRS generated N21.6 trillion, surpassing the target by N2.2 trillion.

    The commendation came during a meeting on Wednesday in Abuja, where the FIRS chairman appeared before the joint committee on Finance to defend the service’s revenue projections for 2025.

    The committee proposed a N25 trillion revenue generation target for FIRS in the coming fiscal year.

    Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, Saidu Abdullahi, was the first to commend Adedeji’s performance, calling it “unprecedented” and “worthy of commendation.”

    “The feat achieved by FIRS in revenue collection for 2024 was unprecedented and truly commendable.

    “Surpassing the target set for the agency in the 2024 Appropriation Act, from N19.4 trillion to N21.6 trillion, is both encouraging and impressive,” he said.

    He encouraged the FIRS to study the tax collection methods of South Africa, which generated higher tax revenue, and to focus on expanding the taxable base to include more informal sector workers.

    Sen. Joel Onowakpo emphasised that tax collection was a global norm, and advised the committee to raise FIRS’s projected 2025 revenue target to N30 trillion.

    Similarly, Sen. Binos Yeroe lauded Adedeji’s innovative approach in surpassing the 2024 target.

    “Your performance in 2024 was highly commendable, and I hope you continue to maintain this level of success,” he said.

    Rep. Etanabene Benedict suggested aiming for N60 trillion in 2025 to avoid borrowing.

    Committee chairmen also supported the proposed N25 trillion revenue goal for 2025; with Sen. Sani Musa stating that it was both “achievable and surpassable.”

    NASS lauds Interior minister over 2024 budget performance

    The National Assembly Joint Committee on Interior has commended the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo over the 2024 budget performance of the ministry.

    The joint committee gave the commendation on Wednesday, when  Tunji-Ojo appeared to defend the 2025 budget of the ministry.

    Tunji-Ojo told the lawmakers during the session that the ministry’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) exceeded its target In the 2024 budget.

    “In 2024, we had a revenue target as approved by the national assembly of N1.2 billion for business expatriates quotas and naturalisation but what we were able to generate was N4,508,306,968.5.”

    The minister explained that the increase in the IGR was not as a result of the increase in expatriates quota revenue, noting that a lot of key sectors within the ministry came alive in the last financial year.

    He attributed the increase to some measures adopted by the ministry to close leakages through zero remittances and full automated solutions.

    According to him, it was the automation of these solutions that closed some of the leakages  that made the revenue to shoot up.

    Impressed with the budget performance, the lawmakers, who could not hide their satisfaction, commended the minister for a job well done, with the committee chairman, Sen. Adams Oshiomhole taking the lead.

    Oshiomhole said: “Minister, you have done extremely well. I think you have been detailed, I have attended some other budget defence and I can’t recall anyone as extremely detailed as you did.

    “We have seen what you have done in 2024, we expect you to do more in 2025, knowing that you have a lot of energy.

    “Now you have made your presentation and I believe we are very satisfied with your explanations.

    “If there are more questions, like you said after this budget session, we can have a special session to discuss further,” Oshiomhole said.

  • Senate slams NNPCL, FIRS, others over alleged refusal to respond to queries

    Senate slams NNPCL, FIRS, others over alleged refusal to respond to queries

    The Senate Committee on Public Accounts on Tuesday, took a swipe at managements of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other agencies.

    This is for their persistent refusal to respond to queries raised against them in the 2019 Audit report.

    Chairman of the committee, Sen. Ahmed Wadada (SDP-Nasarawa West) made this known while speaking to newsmen in Abuja.

    He decried  the attitude of the agencies for failing to respond to queries raised against them in the 2019 audit report.

    Wadada said that going forward, any agency that refused to honour invitation to defend its queries would have its queries sustained and reported to the senate in plenary by the committee.

    He said  the attitude of the affected public agencies on persistent refusal to respond to queries against them in audit report was frustrating and detrimental to aspirations and goals of the  President Bola Tinubu-led government .

    According to him, apart from NNPCL, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Police, other heads of agencies involved in the habit of not honouring invitations include the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

    “Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (former DPR) and Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.”

    Others,  he said,  were FCT Internal Revenue Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited etc.

    He said: ” It is worthy to state that the committee commenced the consideration of the Audit Report in October 2023, with a view to presenting its report to the Plenary.

    “However, some agencies have willfully failed to honour invitations to defend their written responses to the audit queries as submitted to the committee’s secretariat.

    “Beside the demand for submission of written responses to audit queries, part of the committee’s rules of engagement requires that accounting officers attend its public hearing.

    “This is to respond to questions arising from the analysis of their submissions which in turn,  forms a basis for informed decision on the matter by the committee.

    “The committee is very displeased with the attitude of foot dragging by agencies who are by law, expected to respond to parliamentary invitations and account for their actions.”

  • Binance Nigeria representative docked on amended charge

    Binance Nigeria representative docked on amended charge

    The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), on Friday, re-arraigned Binance Holdings Limited on four-count charge bordering on tax evasion allegations.

    Nigerian representative of Binance, Ayodele Omotilewa, who was docked, took a plea on behalf of the company before Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court, Abuja.

    He pleaded not guilty to the four counts.

    The re-arraignment before Justice Nwite followed the discharged of the cryptocurrency firm’s executive, Tigran Gambaryan, and his fleeing colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, from the alleged offence in the last adjourned date.

    Justice Nwite, in a ruling on June 14, discharged and struck out Gambaryan and Anjarwalla’s names from the charge after FIRS’ counsel, Moses Ideho, filed a fresh amended charge wherein Binance is listed as sole defendant.

    The judge also ordered the parties to address the court in the next adjourned date on whether the new Binance representative, Omotilewa, a Nigerian and a lawyer, should be docked to take a plea on Binance behalf.

    Idoho had argued that since Omotilewa had been appointed by the company as its new representative in Nigeria, he should be ordered to enter dock to take plea on the amended charge on behalf of the cryptocurrency platform.

    But Tonye Krukrubo, SAN, who appeared for Binance, opposed the application.

    Krukrubo, who said Omotilewa was only appointed for specific purposes, said the new representative ought not to enter dock, but to watch brief at every sitting.

    In the amended charge dated June 13 but filed June 14, Binance Holdings Limited is the sole defendant in the four-count charge.

    Upon resumed hearing on Friday, Ideho informed the court that the matter was adjourned for the parties to address the court on whether the defendant’s representative, Omotilewa, should enter dock on behalf of the company.

    He said he was ready to proceed.

    But Krukrubo withdrew their objection, having been informed that Omotilewa would only be in the dock on representative capacity.

    The four counts were read to Omotilewa, who pleaded not guilty.

    The FIRS lawyer then sought a date for trial.

    “In the light of the plea, we apply for a date to prove our charge against the defendant,” he said.

    Justice Nwite fixed Oct. 11 for commencement of trial.

  • FIRS files amended charge against Binance

    FIRS files amended charge against Binance

    The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has filed an amended four-count charge against Binance Holdings Limited and its executive, Tigran Gambaryan, on alleged tax evasion.

    FIRS lawyer, Moses Ideho, made this known on Friday before Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court, Abuja.

    Ideho informed the court that following the escape of Nadeem Anjarwalla from lawful custody, the agency deemed it necessary to amend the charge to properly reflect Anjarwalla’s position in the instant charge, as being at large.

    “We apply to substitute our charge dated 22nd of March, 2024 with an amended charge dated 17th of May, 2024.

    “We apply that the charge be read to the 1st and 2nd defendants (Binance and Gambaryan) in order to take their plea,” he prayed

    But counsel for Binance, Chukwuka Ikwuazo, SAN, who also appeared for Gambaryan, opposed to Ideho’s application that the fresh charge be read to his clients.

    Ikwuazo argued that the charge was just being filed this morning and he was yet to see it in order to consult with his clients so as to prepare for their defence.

    Justice Nwite subsequently adjourned the matter until May 22 for arraignment.

    Earlier, the judge, in a ruling, ordered that the FIRS to serve the company (1st defendant) through Gambaryan (2nd defendant) the charge in the matter.

    Justice Nwite held that Gambaryan, being the Binance Chief Financial Compliant Officer, ought to be served with the charge as the company’s representative in Nigeria in accordance with the law.

    He discountenabce the arguement of Ikwuazo that Gambaryan was neither a director, secretary or chief agent of the crypto-currency firm.

    The court had fixed their arraignment for April 4.

    However, the arraignment could not proceed due to inability of FIRS to effect service of the charge on the defendants.

    The defendants are being charged on a four counts bordering on alleged tax evasion in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/115/2024.

    In the charge dated and filed March 22 by the FIRS, the defendants were alleged to have committed the offence on or about Feb. 1.

    Count one alleged that while involved in carrying and offering services to subscribers on their platform, known as Binance, failed to register with the FIRS, for the purpose of paying all relevant taxes administered by the service.

    The offences are said to be punishable under Sections 8 and 29 of the VAT Act of 1993 (as Amended), Section 40 of the FIRS Establishment Act, 2007 (as amended) and under provisions of Section 94 of the Companies Income Tax Act (as amended) respectively.

  • FIRS generates N12.3 trn in 2023 – CEO

    FIRS generates N12.3 trn in 2023 – CEO

    The Chief Executive, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Zacch Adedeji, said that the organisation witnessed unprecedented progress in revenue collection, culminating in a remarkable achievement of N12.3 trillion in 2023.

    The chief executive, who was represented by a staff of the organisation, Mrs Aisha Ribadu, said this on Friday at the FIRS special day at the ongoing 35th Enugu International Trade Fair.

    Adedeji said that this success was a testament to its dedication to nurturing and empowering its workforce, and to ensuring they possessed the skills, knowledge and tools necessary to excel.

    He expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the Enugu State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA) for its discerning choice of theme, “Promoting Made-in-Nigeria Products for Global Competitiveness”.

    The FIRS boss added that the choice of theme reflected the collective aspiration to not only dominate the African market but to assert relevance on the global stage.

    “Investing in human capital is the cornerstone of sustainable development, and nations that prioritise human  development inevitably experience  enduring growth and prosperity.

    “The FIRS has spearheaded transformative reforms aimed at diversifying revenue sources and enhancing the overall taxpayer experience.

    “One of such initiatives is the introduction of the Taxpromax Solutions, an innovative e-service platform designed to empower taxpayers to fulfill their obligations seamlessly from anywhere at any time,” Adedeji said.

    He expressed gratitude to ECCIMA for affording the FIRS the invaluable opportunity to showcase its commitment to national development.

    In a welcome address, the ECCIMA President, Mr Odeiga Jideonwo, said that the essence of the special day was to bring the business community and the general public closer to the activities and operations of the FIRS.

    Jideonwo, who was represented by the first Deputy President, Nnanyereugo Onyemelukwe, said that the FIRS should  work in tandem with other agencies of government and stakeholders in the organised private  sector.

    He said that it would enable the FIRS to redefine and streamline tax administration and regime in the country.

    ” It will also bring about a society  wherein the rich and poor will leverage each other in contributing to the development of the society in a fair and just manner, as it affects company tax by various businesses,” he said.

    He commended the chief executive for its various innovations aimed at voluntary bringing into the FIRS database, companies in order to boost the tax network.

    Jideonwo added that it would also boost revenue with the attendant grace offered in the process to those who had been evading tax payment.

  • FIRS tenders apology to CAN over offensive Easter message

    FIRS tenders apology to CAN over offensive Easter message

    The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has finally apologised to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Nigerians over an Easter message regarded as offensive by the apex Christian body in the country.

    Recall that a flier shared via its social media accounts on Sunday reads, “Jesus paid your debts, not your taxes.”

    However, reacting to the FIRS’s Easter post, CAN, the Christian body, demanded a public apology, noting that the message was offensive to the Christian faith.

    This post also elicited reactions from Nigerians.

    Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Dare Adekambi, Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS Chairman, Zacch Adedeji said its intention was not to denigrate the message of Easter but to engage taxpayers and remind them of their civic duty.

    The service rendered an “unreserved apology” to CAN and Nigerians, adding that the agency had no religion and had no intention to offend adherents of the Christian faith.

    The statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to a statement by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) about a flier posted on our social media platforms with the headline ‘Jesus paid your debts, not your taxes.’

    “As a responsible government agency, we would like to say we did not put out the flier purposely to denigrate Jesus Christ or detract from the huge sacrifice He made for humanity. We are acutely aware that the essence of the Easter period is to celebrate this huge sacrifice.

    “The message was our way of uniquely engaging taxpayers, to remind them of the need to prioritize payment of their taxes as a civic obligation.

    “Yes, we would say the message ruffled feathers in some circles. The unintended meaning/insinuation being read into the post was not what we were out to communicate as an agency.

    “Good a thing, this much is acknowledged by CAN in its statement wherein it said, ‘We recognize that the intended message may have been to creatively engage taxpayers…’ We wish to offer our unreserved apologies for this misinterpretation.

    “FIRS, as a responsible agency, has no religion and will not bring down any religion or offend the sensibilities of adherents of various faiths in the country.

    “Our goal is to assess, collect, and account for revenue for the wellbeing of the Federation. It is an investment in the country’s progress when citizens pay taxes. Once again, we wish to apologize to CAN and Christians who felt offended by the unintended consequence of our message on Easter Sunday”.

  • CAN demands public apology from FIRS over Easter message

    CAN demands public apology from FIRS over Easter message

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), on Tuesday in Abuja called on the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to retract its Easter message and offer public apology.

    The National Director, National Issues and Social Welfare, CAN, Commodore Abimbola Ayuba (rtd), in a statement said that FIRS’ Easter message threatened Nigeria’s unity and undermined respect among diverse religious groups.

    The FIRS Easter message reads, “Jesus paid your debt, not your taxes.”

    CAN, however, expressed concern over the FIRS message calling it “offensive and derogatory” to the Christian faith

    “The Easter message by FIRS does not only threaten Nigeria’s delicate fabric of unity but also undermines the efforts of many Nigerians working towards fostering mutual respect among diverse religious groups

    “As a nation that prides itself on religious harmony and peaceful coexistence, we are deeply concerned by the recurrence of provocative messages around religious holidays.

    “This year, a public institution, which should be the bastion of exemplary conduct, has been implicated in disseminating content that is widely regarded as offensive and derogatory to the Christian faith.

    “Such messages not only threaten the delicate fabric of our national unity but also undermine the efforts of countless Nigerians working towards fostering mutual respect among diverse religious groups,” the statement reads.

    The FIRS’ Easter message has sparked serious controversy.

    In its Easter message signed by, FIRS Chairman Muhammad Nami, emphasised the need for Christians to pay their taxes as a form of religious obligation.

    This draws criticism for what some perceived as insensitivity and religious bias.

    This has reignited debates over the role of government agencies in promoting religious harmony and respect for diverse beliefs in Nigeria.

    Critics argued that while tax compliance is important, public messages should be inclusive and respectful of all religious groups to avoid fueling tensions in the country.

    However, CAN’s statement urged the FIRS to retract the message and offer a public apology for the distress caused.

    CAN also called on public and private organizations to exercise caution and consideration for the diverse religious backgrounds of Nigerian society in their communications.