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Tag: FIRS

  • NCC, FIRS sign MOU for ascertaining VAT elements of telcos’ transactions

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

    This is to ensure the tax agency ascertained accuracy and completeness of value added tax (VAT) elements and other taxes payable in the transactions of telecoms operators.

    A statement signed by Dr Henry Nkemadu, Director, public Affairs of NCC, in Abuja, said that the MOU was in line with the commission’s inter-agency collaboration, quoting the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta.

    Danbatta said that diligence and appropriate due processes were undertaken to conclude the MOU, as the Commission took its time to understand the import of the MOU.

    “Our concern, as Regulator of the telecoms industry, is that we needed to be sure that it is not another way to tax telecoms operators, who are already dealing with multiple taxation issues.

    “We have also ensured that the integration of the solutions with telcos’ transactions systems will not, in any way, impact the cost and quality of service delivery by the operators to telecoms consumers.”

    Danbatta, therefore, assured telecoms consumers and stakeholders that the integration with the operators’ systems was entirely to ascertain the accuracy of the VAT elements being paid by the operators on their transactions.

    He noted that it would not, in any way, degrade the quality of service delivery or lead to high cost of service to the consumers.

    The Executive Chairman, FIRS, Muhammad Nami, explained that the MOU was mainly to ascertain completeness of tax transactions of mobile service providers to the Federal Government.

    This is due to the shift of physical businesses to electronic-based business activities.

    Nami expressed delight and thanked the NCC for accepting to collaborate with the tax agency.

    “With the MOU, the FIRS will be able to integrate an application programming interface (API) technology solution with the systems of telecom operators.

    “This is for independent verification of the amount of VAT that should be paid by mobile network operators (MNO) rather than relying entirely on the operators’ books of accounts,” he said.

  • FG mulls slashing FIRS N8.5tr target over COVID-19 pandemic

    FG mulls slashing FIRS N8.5tr target over COVID-19 pandemic

    As the harsh realities of the coronavirus disease [COVID-19] pandemic dawns on global economy, the Federal Government of Nigeria is proposing revising the non-oil revenue projections, including various tax and customs receipts.

    This means the N8.5trillion target set for the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) will be slashed at the end of the review.

    Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed made this known during her Corona virus pandemic (COVID 19) stimulus presentation in Abuja.

    Already, the Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation Mr Ben Akabueze has commenced work on the review.

    According to Zainab Ahmed, “the 2020 Appropriation Act was based on certain fiscal assumptions, which we have been compelled to revisit given the emerging economic realities.”

    In this regard, the Budget Office she said “is currently working on a revised 2020 – 2022 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) as well as an Amendment to the 2020 Appropriation Act.”

    The proposed Amended Budget will provide for the COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund and other adjustments required due to the decline in international oil prices.

    The Executive, she noted, has “commenced engagements with the Leadership and key Committees of the National Assembly to discuss our plans, such that once the Executive’s 2020 Amendment Budget is completed, we shall expeditiously seek the requisite Presidential and Legislative approvals.”

    In the interim, the FIRS said it has set up a number of measures to provide support to taxpayers in managing their tax obligations as they are impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.

    These measures include: Taxpayers can now take advantage of “the simple, user-friendly and robust eFiling process to submit their documents online instead of visiting the tax offices.

    Also, Late Returns Penalty (LRP) has been waived for taxpayers who pay early and file later. Supporting documents can also be emailed to the dedicated email addresses or submitted later to the tax offices by those who are not able to use the email facility.

    Remittance of VAT on or before 21st of every month has been extended to the last day of the month. Taxpayers facing challenges in sourcing for forex to offset their liabilities have been given the option of paying in naira at the prevailing Investors & Exporters (I &E) Forex window rate on the day of payment.

    The period to file PIT returns for Foreign Affairs, non-residents, Military and Police has been extended to the June 30 and field audit, investigations and monitoring visits have been suspended till further notice.

    Hints that the FIRS might not meet its target was made at the last month’s Service’s retreat in Abuja.

    At the retreat, it was revealed that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS ) in January 2020 had collected tax revenue of N338.1 billion against a tax target of N620.2 billion.

    The figure represents the aggregate collection by states’ coordinating units on monthly basis.

  • FIRS appoints new directors, retires others

    FIRS appoints new directors, retires others

    The Board of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has approved the appointment of four Coordinating Directors (CD) and two Group Leads (GL) in acting capacity and retired some directors.

    Mr Abdullahi Ismaila, Director, Communications and Liaison Department of the service, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.

    Ismaila said the appointment was part of ongoing-internal reforms to reposition the Service towards achieving its N8.5 trillion tax target.

    He explained that the FIRS Board took the decision at its Emergency Meeting held on Friday during which it also approved the retirement of some directors.

    He said the board approved the retirement of all directors who had served for eight years and above as directors in the Service, in line with Para 10.1(a)(iii) of Human Resources Policy and Programmes (HRPP)” of the FIRS statute.

    According to him, the newly appointed Coordinating Directors are Dr Asheikh Maidugu who is now in charge of Executive Chairman’s Group, Mr Olufemi Oladeji Oluwaniyi, Tax Operations Group, Mr Innocent Chinyere Ohagwa, General Services Group and Mr Ezra Usman Zubairu, Enforcement Support Group.

    Those appointed as Group Leads are Mrs Faosat Ogunniyi, Compliance Support Group and Ms. Chiaka Okoye, Digital Support Group.

    Ismaila said the appointments took immediate effect and would subsist for six months.

    He added that the Board and Management congratulated the new appointees and enjoined them and other workforce of the service to continue to work hard and support Management towards meeting and surpassing the revenue targets.

    The director noted that the Board and Management also thanked the retired directors for their inestimable contributions to the FIRS and Nigeria while in Public Service, and wished them well in their future endeavours.

  • FIRS reacts to reports of Staff testing positive to Coronavirus

    FIRS reacts to reports of Staff testing positive to Coronavirus

    Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), on Saturday, denied the news making round that a senior staff of the agency tested positive to Coronavirus at the weekend.

    A section of the media had been awash with the news that a staff of FIRS who came back on a British Airways flight on March 13, 2020 tested positive to Coronavirus, but in a swift reaction, the agency denied the report describing it as fake news.

    Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad, Director, Communications and Liaison Department of the FIRS, in a statement on Saturday, stated categorically that no member of the staff of agency tested positive to COVID-19.

    The statement reads “The attention of the Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Muhammad Nami and the Management of the Service has been drawn to the fake news making the rounds on Social Media that a member of staff at the FIRS has tested positive to COVID-19.

    The Service hereby states unequivocally that no member of staff at the FIRS has tested positive to COVID-19 as being peddled on Social Media.

    The Service can confirm that a member of staff who went to pick his wife from the airport following her return from a trip abroad is currently and voluntarily observing the Federal Government advisory of self-isolation alongside his spouse at the couple’s home since Monday.

    Both husband and wife have not visited any FIRS offices or events since the wife returned to Nigeria last Sunday.

    More importantly, both husband and wife have only been in self-isolation for five days and have NOT tested positive to Covid-19.

    Before now, all FIRS offices have taken necessary precautions to protect both Staff and our esteemed taxpayers from Covid-19 through such safety measures as social distancing, temperature testing, disabling of the biometric sign in, and provision of hand sanitizers for staff and visitors to our offices nationwide as advised by the Federal Ministry of Health.

    Members of the public are therefore advised to discountenance the claim that an FIRS official has tested positive to Covid-19.

    SIGNED

    Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad

    Director,
    Communications and Liaison Department
    Federal Inland Revenue Service

  • FIRS targets trillions in tax from oil, gas companies

    FIRS targets trillions in tax from oil, gas companies

    The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) said it would rake in four trillion naira as tax revenue from the extractive sector of the Nigerian economy in the 2020 fiscal year.

    The FIRS made this known in a statement issued by Abdullahi Ahmad, Director, Communications and Liaison Department in the service in Abuja on Tuesday.

    The statement said the Executive Chairman, FIRS, Mr Muhammad Nami, disclosed this when a team of the Nigerian office of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) paid him a courtesy visit.

    Nami solicited the support of the OECD in stemming the tax evasion scheme of oil majors and multinationals operating in Nigeria through the illegal act of transfer pricing under which these foreign companies dodged tax and transfer their profit offshore.

    The FIRS boss underscored the need for capacity-building, information sharing, data interpretation, usage and related technical synergy with the OECD in order to meet tax revenue targets in the extractive industry and the newly emergent Digital Economy.

    He observed that revolution in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) had made physical filing of tax returns obsolete.

    Nami, however, stated that ICT had also made tax collection more complex, especially in trans-border trade and trans-continental commerce.

    According to him, in such trade big players like Amazon, Google, facebook, Alibaba and other e-commerce corporations do big business around, drive the digital economy and yet countries find it difficult to take due tax from the huge economic activities these online giants engage in.

    “This is more so for developing countries like Nigeria where our people buy luxury goods more and more online while these big online stores don’t pay any tax to us.

    “The complexity of the digital economy to the tax authorities also extents to the telecommunication and financial sectors, including the emerging trades and the exchange carried out using digital currency,” he said.

    Similarly, Nami when he received the Comptroller-General (CG), Federal Fire Service, Dr Liman Alhaji Ibrahim, commended the service for its prompt response during a fire incident that occurred at its building in 2019.

    He called for more synergy and collaboration between the FIRS and the Fire Service.

  • FIRS issues deadline for compulsory registration of TIN for taxpayers, companies

    FIRS issues deadline for compulsory registration of TIN for taxpayers, companies

    The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has set a mandatory deadline of April 12, 2020 for all taxpayers and companies to register and obtain the Tax Identification Number (TIN) and display it on all documents supporting business transactions.

    A public notice by the Chairman of the service, Mr Mohamed Nami, stated that every company or business shall provide their TIN to relevant financial services provider not later than the set date. It was explained that this will allow them update their existing records for accounts opened before the coming into effect of the Finance Act 2019.

    It also directed that banks and other financial institutions are required to request for TIN as a precondition for opening new accounts for companies and any other business.

    It further explained that Section 3 of the Finance Act, 2019, substituted the provision of Section 10 of the Companies Income Tax Act (CITA) which explains that – “every company shall have a Tax Identification Number (TIN) which shall be displayed by the company on all business transactions with other companies and individuals and on every document, statement, returns, audited accounts and correspondence with revenue authorities, including the Federal Inland Revenue Service, ministries and all government agencies.”

    The notice also read, “Every person engaged in banking and other financial services in Nigeria shall require all companies to provide their TIN as precondition for opening an account or in case of an account already opened within three months of the passage of this act, the bank requires such TIN to be provided by all companies as precondition for continued operation of their bank accounts.”

    FIRS further explained that payment of taxes are to be made on or before the due date of filing in one lump sum or by installment. This according to the service, is line with the amendments to Section 77 of the Companies Income Tax Act, (CITA) by Section 18 of the Finance Act.

    The service further noted that it would grant approval to any taxpayer that wishes to pay in installments prior to the due date of filing and final installment must be paid on or before the due date of filing.

    FIRS added that any tax due and unpaid by the due date of filing shall attract interest and penalties as contained in the existing tax laws.

  • Ecobank in tax avoidance trouble, ordered to pay N1.6b to FIRS

    Ecobank in tax avoidance trouble, ordered to pay N1.6b to FIRS

    The Tax Appeal Tribunal has declared as illegal, null and void the decision of EcoBank Nigeria Limited to pay N5, 545, 000,000 as dividends to its shareholders in 2016.

    That year, Ecobank had claimed it made no taxable profit and rather declared losses from its banking operations.

    A statement from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) said the tribunal reached this decision in its judgment dated February 20, 2020, which it delivered in Appeal No. TAT/LZ/CIT/024/2018.

    Consequently, EcoBank must now pay at least N1, 663, 500, 000 to the FIRS as Company Income Tax for the year in dispute – 2016.

    EcoBank had dragged the FIRS to court over the insistence of the service that the bank must pay in full its excess dividend tax liability of N2, 079, 375, 000, inclusive of interest and penalty for the Year of Assessment (YOA) 2016.

    But Ecobank argued that the dividend it paid out was tax exempt as N4,372,244,556 out of the total sum was “profit from bonds and treasury bills”, which was not taxable based on the provisions of the Company Income Tax (Exemption of Bonds and Short-Term Government Securities) Order, 2011.

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    Admitting to only making N1,172755,444 “trading profits” from other business sources, EcoBank decided that it would only pay N351,826,663 tax to the FIRS, which it paid the Service after some months of delay.

    However, the FIRS “demanded for the immediate payment of the outstanding excess dividend tax liability of N1, 311, 673, 367” from the bank. The impasse led to the suit before the tax tribunal.

    In its argument before the court, EcoBank presented three issues for determination, namely whether the FIRS “was correct to assess the Appellant to tax under Section 19 of CITA” when the income earned was “from Bonds, Treasury Bills and other Government Securities”; whether the FIRS “misdirected itself by failing to take account the CIT paid by the Appellant”; and “whether by the rules of Interpretation of Statutes, the Respondent has erred in law in its application of Section 19 of CITA”.

    In its consideration of the three issues raised, the tax tribunal resolved them in favour of the FIRS. It held that “companies that invest in bonds will, by virtue of the tax exemption, become liable to pay excess dividend tax on their profits.”

    The court averred that “if the tax exemption granted by the order (Company Income Tax (Exemption of Bonds and Short-Term Government Securities) Order, 2011) creates an excess dividend situation” EcoBank or any other company “should be liable to pay excess dividend tax on the same income that otherwise would have been exempted from tax.”

    The tribunal stressed that “a liability to pay excess dividend tax arises where a company that seeks to pay dividend has no taxable profit as in the instant case but has distributable profit that is higher than the taxable profit.”

    The tribunal also held that the FIRS properly directed itself by not failing “to take into account the sum already settled by the Appellant” (EcoBank) in the Service’s “total assessment of N1,663,500,000.”

  • How Lagos based multinational companies evade tax since 2011 – FIRS chair

    How Lagos based multinational companies evade tax since 2011 – FIRS chair

    There is no more hiding place for government contractors in the payment of Stamp Duty, Withholding Tax and Company Income Tax (CIT).

    “Revenue collecting agencies are to deduct stamp duty, withholding tax and CIT from their contractors at the point of payment and promptly send these to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in lump sum, rather than staggered payments as it is the current practice”, Muhammad Nami, said in Lagos on Tuesday.

    The FIRS Chairman said: “This is better for everybody as we would all have to do less reconciliation and enforcement activities, and we can therefore use the saved time to expand the tax net.”

    Nami spoke during a visit to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the Lagos State House at Alausa, Ikeja,

    Nami during a visit to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the Lagos State House at Alausa, Ikeja

    He said that some multinational companies operating in Lagos – Nigeria’s commercial hub – have not been paying CIT since 2011.

    Nami said the tax-evading firms will be tracked down and put in the tax net.

    He said: “A number of multinational companies operating in Lagos State have not paid CIT since 2011 as they appeared to have perfected the illicit act of profit shifting to escape paying tax.

    “The FIRS and the Lagos State government need to collaborate to map out strategies to tax these tax-evading companies, whose goods and services we all consume or patronise and who also use public infrastructure to do their business but yet repatriate their profits home.

    “We need to tax them so that we can have the fund to combat insecurity, build and maintain public infrastructure and provide social amenities for Nigerians.”

    The FIRS boss also charged all tax-collecting agents in the public and private sectors to make correct collection and prompt remittance of all collectable taxes priority.

    Nami also clarified that the outstanding Value Added Tax (VAT) on contracts invoiced before the February 1, 2020 kick-off date for Finance Act 2019, should be paid on the old VAT rate, stressing that all collecting agencies in default in this regard should clear this up immediately.

    The FIRS chief urged the National Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and similar collecting agencies to increase their diligence in collecting offshore taxation from service providers based outside Nigeria.

    “If you don’t take offshore tax from them, they will take it back to their countries and pay it there. But we need this money more in Nigeria to fight insecurity, build public infrastructure and provide social amenities for our people,” the FIRS chief said.

    In his presentation to the governor, Nami gave a broad overview of the palliatives to taxpayers in the Finance Act, to include a reduction in CIT for Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs) from 30 per cent to 20 per cent; VAT exemption for SMEs who make a turnover of less than N25 million and a further cut by two per cent for corporate and individual taxpayers who file their CIT or Personal Income Tax (PIT) returns three months before due date.

    He canvassed a closer collaborative effort between the FIRS and the Lagos State government, especially in the area of information sharing, tax audit, correct collection and prompt remittance of CIT, PIT, Withholding Tax and Stamp Duty.

    Sanwo-Olu said the local economy has capacity to generate more than the N8.5 trillion the FIRS has been mandated to collect.

    The governor said: “When we look at our economic indices, and we need this money, it is only when the FIRS do well that we can get this money through the FAAC. We in Lagos pledge to work even closer with you in the FIRS to meet your target.

    “We also pledge to use the money judiciously in the service of the public when it comes back to us as allocation.”

  • Nigeria lost N1.3trn to tax waivers in five years – FIRS

    Nigeria lost N1.3trn to tax waivers in five years – FIRS

    The Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) says Nigeria lost N1.3 trillion to granting of tax waivers to companies operating in three sectors of the economy in the last five years.

    Chairman of FIRS, Muhammad Nami, made the disclosure at an investigative hearing organised for revenue generating agencies in the country.

    The hearing was organised by the Senate Committee on Finance.

    Muhammad, while making his remark, said: ”When I resumed office, I realised that from this waivers alone, we reviewed just three sectors, a total sum of N1.3 trillion was lost as tax revenue in five years.

    “This is just three sectors out of myriads of waivers that have been granted to these people.

    “These people mostly are doing well and have much money from Nigeria, they exploited the lacuna in our laws, obtain waivers and worked away with over N1.3 trillion in the last five years,” he said.

    Mohammed noted that FIRS had issues with funding of its operations, given the huge personnel cost of the organisation.

    ”So, we have issues that has to do with inadequate funding of our operations too. This is actually the issues we want the senate to look at when we come up in our quarterly meeting . We have huge overhead cost, our overhead should be the largest in the country now.

    ”We have about 10,000 employees and the little we generate, given the huge personal cost, we are left with little to fund our operation. On this note, we want to appeal that you carry out an upward reform in the cost our collection,” he said.

    He said the inability of the FIRS to meet its target on revenue generation was not unconnected with the issues of insecurity, slow growth and ease of doing business in the country, adding that the tax waiver granted had also compounded the issue of illicit financial flow from the country.

  • See full list of 200 senior staff affected in New FIRS Chairman massive shake up

    No fewer than 200 senior staff (including directors) of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) are affected in the massive shake up effected by Executive Chairman Muhammad Mani.

    Recall that Mani replaced Mr. Babatunde Fowler as EC in December. He has been consolidating his hold on the tax agency “to be able to meet the N8.5trillion 2020 tax revenue target,” according to officials.

    There is disquiet in the agency as a result of the movements, which also affected about 50 deputy directors, assistant directors and over 100 other employees have either been transferred who have their portfolios swapped.

    The Executive Secretary of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), Mr. Oseni Elamah, has been replaced with Mr. Mohammed  Lawal Abubakar. Elamah, who did not get another posting, has kicked against his removal, it was learnt. Sources said he might head for the court

    The anxiety has given way to panic in the system because more officials might be affected in the new initiative. The FIRS has more than 10,000 employees.

    One of those affected by the shake-up is Mr. Odekunle John Oluwatoyin, an Assistant Director and former Chief of Staff to Fowler, who was transferred to the Enforcement Unit.

    A source said: “The movements were a means of shaping FIRS along the lines Mani believes could fetch him the N8.5 trillion target.

    “While some of the directors were said to have moved up in relevance and ranking, one senior management staff got a tacit boot away from the agency. A new director also joined the service.

    “It is also a means of placing, ‘Mani’s own ministers at strategic positions so he could move very fast.” According to a December 31, 2019  circular signed by the Director, Human Capital Management Department, Victor Ekundayo  five top directors along with the executive chairman will constitute the Interim Management Team (IMT) of the FIRS.

    Members of the IMT, who are part of the shake-up include a former Coordinating Director, Compliance Enforcement Group, Cyriacus Ekechi, who has been appointed the Transition Lead Compliance Support Group; the Director, Planning Reporting and Statistics, Aishiekh Maidugu is now Special Assistant, Special Duties to the Executive Chairman; and the Director, Debt Management, Femi Oluwaniyi,  who is now Transition Lead, Domestic Taxes Group.

    Others are Kudu Mohammed, Assistant Director, Project Management Office, (e- Services)  now Special Advisor to the executive chairman – a position occupied by the former Acting Chairman, Abiodun Aina, before he became Coordinating Director,

    Domestic Taxes Group and Dr. Abdullahi Ismaila Special Assistant Service and Communication to the FIRS chairman.

    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 Ekundayo; Gbolaga Oshiga formerly of Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, who moved to Revenue House Abuja as Director Tax Audit, Mohammed L. Abubakar, formerly Coordinating Director, Tax Appeal Tribunal who is now Secretary, Joint Tax Board (JTB).

    “Sanni Dahiru and Assistant Director at the State Coordinator’s Office, in Charge of Kogi, FCT and Nasarawa replaced  Mohammed Lawal  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. While Najim Ajila, the former Director, Audit, replaced Oluwaniyi in Debt Collection, Joel Ogohi, a Deputy Director, replaced 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, a 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.

    It was gathered that four other managers were also moved.

    Others swapped were  Adebayo Kayode, Director Investigations, who was moved  to Special Investigations Department, while Idris Ahmed 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, An  Assistant Director and former Chief of Staff to the former Executive Chairman, Mr.  Odekunle John Oluwatoyin, was transferred to the 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; Dr. Olufemi Akinfala, formerly Head, Research and Development Department was moved to Planning Research and Statistics Department; Oyebanji Olufemi Matthew , Deputy Director Special Tax Audit, Lagos, became Tax Controller Oil and Gas, Lagos, Muazu Alhaji 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 Olamide Adedayo  were moved  from Relationship Management Unit to State Coordinator’s office, while most staff of the Relationship Management Unit—said to be a creation of Tunde Fowler, were also transferred.

    A source said Elamah has filed a pre-action notice against his removal.

    The source said more transfers and movements will come as Mani strengthens his hold on the FIRS.

    He added: “The redeployments are not punitive. These transfers are normal. When Fowler also came, he moved top staff on a continuous basis until he was comfortable to do the job.

    “In the FIRS, anyone who has spent four years in an office could be transferred. It’s in black and white. And the members of staff know about this policy. The chairman is eager for results. And as you can see, his focus is tax, tax, tax and anything that could assist him to realize the 2020 target.”