The LEADERSHIP award is a recognition of our reforms – President of FIRS

Federal Internal Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman Mohammad Nami said the award presented to him by the management of LEADERSHIP Group Limited, the publishers of LEADERSHIP Newspapers and NATIONAL ECONOMY is recognition of the hard-working and tireless staff in the service.

Mr. Nami made the remarks on Thursday when the newspaper’s management team headed by its vice-president, Chief Mike Okpere, presented him with a nomination letter for LEADERSHIP’s 2022 Public Service Person of the Year, at his Abuja office.

He expressed his delight to have been found worthy of the position, saying it was an award for the FIRS team that is working hard to raise more revenue for all three levels of government.

Recognizing that LEADERSHIP Newspaper has become the first point of contact for authentic news, he prayed for the soul of its founding president, the late Sam Nda-Isaiah, to deepen democracy in Nigeria through the annual conference.

Nami took the opportunity to highlight some of the reforms and system changes that have helped FIRS achieve significant results in both revenue generation and staff motivation.

Nami said her tax reform initiatives focused on administrative and operational restructuring; make the service customer-focused; the creation of a data-centric institution and the automation of administrative and operational processes were responsible for the improvement of revenue collection.

The service had also automated most administrative and operational processes. A major leap forward was the full implementation of TaxPro Max for comprehensive tax administration in June 2021. The module for the automated TCC went live on January 1, 2023, while taxpayers had already downloaded over 1,000 TCC this year without having to visit the FIRS office.

Mr. Nami said that, upon taking over in December 2019, he had to dismantle the variety of consulting syndrome for which FIRS was so notorious and hand over the functions of the service to in-house staff, most of whom had been left idle. under the previous administration. .

Upon taking over, Nami said that she decided to do things differently when she evaluated the existing system by running tests to identify the issues that were sabotaging the system, with solutions implemented.

He said he had to rebuild the system by introducing many internal reforms with a focus on maximum performance, with a focus on revenue generation.

“We invest a lot in ICT to collect more taxes. We are serious about stewardship and collaboration with stakeholders, including the media to help tell our story and inform the public about our reforms, tell the public to trust the government by paying more taxes.

“The whole country depends on us for income. We provide more than 60 percent of the revenue to all three levels of government. “This award is for FIRS and all the staff,” she stated. Nami confirmed her attendance at the award ceremony.

Earlier, LEADERSHIP Group Vice President Chief Mike Okpere said he was elated to present the letter to the tax chief who emerged as LEADERSHIP’s 2022 Public Service Person of the Year from a highly vetted selection process.

“We are proud of you and the reforms you have introduced since taking office in 2019. We have seen your exemplary service and unparalleled track record as FIRS President,” said Okpere, while praising Nami’s record success as a director. from the revenue agency.

“Among several nominees with excellent credentials, he has been selected for this prestigious award for his bold and unprecedented reform of Nigeria’s tax administration, including the implementation of technology, data and strategic intelligence that led to the highest tax revenue collection in the story of 10.1 trillion naira. only in 2022,” Okpere said, adding; “The selection board found him most qualified as the 2022 LEADERSHIP Public Service Person of the Year.”

This is the 14th award ceremony organized by LEADERSHIP Group Ltd, the most influential reputable newspaper in Nigeria. This year’s edition of the award ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday 31 January 2023 for the official presentation of the award badge to Nami and 26 other distinguished recipients at the Abuja International Conference Center at 10:00am. .