By Stanley Onyekwere
The Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) has sought collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to enhance tax compliance in the FCT.
The Acting Executive Chairman of the Service, Mr. Michael Ango during a courtesy visit to the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Olanipekun Olukoyede, at the Commission’s Corporate Headquarters, yesterday, said the partnership was important, because of the statutory roles of both agencies.
Ango, in an e-signed statement from the Head, Corporate Communications, FCT-IRS, Mr. Mustapha Sumaila, noted that such engagement with the EFCC was in line with mandate of the FCT-IRS to collaborate with agencies such as the EFCC towards improving tax compliance in the FCT.
He added that one of the major initiatives of the FCT-IRS in 2025 is the harmonisation of revenue collection and administration in the FCT and to achieve this, the support and collaboration of all person and agencies such as the EFCC would be required.
He said: “This is to ensure that all revenue due to the FCT is collected and accounted for in a transparent manner and to enhance ease of doing business and improve revenue generation
“This will further consolidate the massive infrastructural development in the FCT, by His Excellency, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, Honourable Minister of the FCT.”
Furthermore, Ango noted that most suspects being investigated by EFCC for financial crimes were not tax compliant, and it would helpful if such persons were interrogated as to their tax status and required to fulfil their tax obligations as part of the investigation process.
The FCT-IRS boss also stated that this approach could also be extended to forfeitures of assets or monies of suspects to the EFCC by the courts.
“When suspects are being investigated or charged to Court, we would like to know, Mr Chairman their compliance level, if they escape from one door, we can catch them through another door.
“We will therefore be happy to partner with you, like we are doing with your sister agency, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU)”, he stated.
Meanwhile, Ango condoled with the EFCC on the recent
lost of its operative and commended the EFCC Executive Chairman for the excellent work he and the Commission have been doing to tackle financial crimes in the country since he assumed duty as Chief Executive of the Commission.
Responding, the EFCC Executive Chairman, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede thanked the FCT-IRS chairman and his team for the visit, and expressed willingness to partner with the Service to improve revenue collection in the FCT.
Olukoyede said the Commission is in partnership with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and other State Internal Revenue Services and therefore would be willing to partner with the FCT-IRS to shore up its collections.
He also noted the need to have a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to highlight the specific areas of collaboration pointing out that such would further strengthen the relationship between the two organisations.
The EFCC Chairman further lauded the efforts of Mr. Ango since his appointment as Acting Executive Chairman, adding that he has been keeping tabs with the achievements within the short period of time.
He added that he was not surprised about the aggressive infrastructural development in the FCT carried out by the Honourable Minister of the FCT, which shows that taxpayer’s money is judiciously used across the territory.
