The Federal Inland Revenue
Services, FIRS, has reacted to claims by former spokesperson of the All Progressives
Congress, APC, Timi Frank, that it supported the party’s political campaign
with the sum of N40bn.
The FIRS had said that Frank
accused it of supporting APC campaigns with the sum of N40bn and N90bn at
different periods through Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.
The nations revenue service,
however, described Frank’s allegation as “wicked, malicious and a calculated
attempt” to smear its image and that of the Vice President.
In a statement signed by Head,
Communications and Servicom Department, Wahab Gbadamosi, FIRS insisted that
Frank’s allegation was a campaign of “calumny, vilifying, libellous, unfounded
in fact, irresponsible and a brazen assault on the integrity of the Service.”
The statement reads: “First it
was N90B, but now N40B. Which is which? It took a disgruntled politician to
convey the fake news of N90B, now it is the services of an unquestioning PR
newswire that is passing on the unsupported, baseless N40B bogus allegation.
Whichever way whoever is behind this, a lie is a lie’’.
The FIRS in defence of itself
said the last four years since Mr. Tunde Fowler has supervised operations at
the FIRS, the agency had not received up to N100 billion, per annum, as Cost of
Collection from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC. FAAC is a
public institution, whose records are open to the public.
“That it is from the remittances
from FAAC—which had never grossed up to N100 billion, PER ANNUM, that FIRS pays
the salary and emoluments and trains it’s over 8000 staff, runs over 150 offices
and provides for other needs of the Service.
FIRS maintains that it was not
possible for it to commit all its resources to a phantom campaign of N90
billion as suggested by Mr. Timi Frank given that it barely has enough for its
operations.
“That FIRS is a creation of
statute and its activities are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria and financial regulations and thus, IT IS NOT PLAUSIBLE, that its funds
could be expended in such a cavalier manner as suggested by Mr. Timi Frank.
“That FIRS Budget and expenditure
approval processes pass through the Budget Office and the Ministry of Finance
before such is presented to the National Assembly for Appropriation into Law.
The National Assembly committees, consisting of all parties and inclinations
exercise oversight function on all agencies of the Federal Government to ensure
agencies keep to the letters of the Appropriation Act. Thus FIRS’ operations
are subjected to Scrutiny and close monitoring by the National Assembly, the
Federation Accounts Allocation Committee and the Ministry of Finance.
“It is therefore unthinkable,
malicious and irresponsible for the said Frank to insinuate or infer that N90
billion or any part thereof could be spent illegally and without budgetary
approval.
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