The Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS),
Muhammad Nami assumed office at the Revenue House, FIRS Headquarters
in Abuja on Thursday with a charge that his mandate is to increase tax revenue of the federal government.
Nami assured the workers at the formal meeting on assumption on thusrday
that he would work with them to achieve President Muhammadu Buhari’s
aim of appointing him.
“I am overwhelmed by the reception by all of you despite the short
notice. I hope that you will continue to give me this support as we
work together to build capacity and raise the revenue for the country.
I assure you that we will work together to achieve President Muhammadu
Buhari’s aim of appointing me”, he said.
In a message to the staff, Nami said he owed it to God Almighty, his
appointment to the position of the Executive Chairman of FIRS, noting
that he was aware of the enormity of the responsibility ahead him.
“This task, as enormous as it is, requires masterstroke measures,
resilience in policy implementation and foresight to evolve novel
ideas. I shall spare no effort to summon the courage to actualise this
task. Most times, success is borne out of the will to endure hardship
such as tax drive entails”, he said.
He told the staff that respite has come to them especially to those
who are hardworking and professional in their work.
“At this point, I want to enlist the support and cooperation of all
staff in the task of lifting the economy of this country out of its
present position. I want you to be rest assured that respite has come
especially to the deserving hardworking and professionally competent
members of the staff”, he added.
Abiodun Aina, who acted as the Executive Chairman until Nami was
confirmed by Senate on Wednesday thanked the staff for cooperating
with him to handover a peaceful and unified FIRS to the Executive
Chairman.
“You can see the excitement on the faces of the staff and their
eagerness to receive you. It shows the enthusiasm with which you are
expected in FIRS. In the little time I held forth, I have seen that we
have some little challenges with our mandate. This is the challenges
that you have come provide solutions to. I pledge my loyalty and the
loyalty of my colleagues and I believe that we are going to work
together to achieve the mandate of the Service”, Aina told Nami.
In the message to staff, Nami said: “All praises and adoration are due
to the Almighty God, the One who exalts whomever He wills, the Maker
of kings, the Provider of sustenance. This auspicious moment of my
life is not my making, He has designed it to be. It is not by my
strength or claim to any modicum of knowledge. It is His Wisdom. It is
not also an accident. It is His will.
“As I assume the mantle of leadership of this reputable organisation,
I want to say that I am very much aware of the enormity of the
responsibility entrusted to me by fate and those who have confidence
in my capacity to discharge it. I am equally aware that for too long,
Nigeria’s economy has been in dire straits with attendant
socio-economic challenges.
“It is as a result of these challenges that the present administration
of President Muhammadu Buhari has been making strident efforts towards
putting the economy back on the track. Part of these efforts is the
administration’s attempt towards making tax revenue generation and
collection the cornerstone of its economic recovery efforts. I
therefore understand that my mandate is to facilitate the
administration’s economic recovery drive through increased tax revenue
generation by opening up new potential revenue sources.
“Nowhere in the world is success a product of complacency,
prevarication, sentiment and whimsical armchair criticism. Success is
not a function of being visible on the social media platforms, or
being ungainly garrulous. Success is a function of teamwork and
circumspect.
