Economic saboteurs behind call for FIRS chair, Zacch Adedeji’s sack – CD
By Fola Ademosu
The Campaign for Democracy (CD), a civil society organisation, has rejected what it describes as “a politically-sponsored call” for the removal of the chairperson of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji. In a press statement signed by its national secretary, Comrade Olufemi Lawson, the CD said it is “baseless” and “malicious” for “a faceless group” to request for Adedeji’s removal over unpaid debts to some local contractors.
Cornet News reports that a federal lawmaker, Ikenga Ugochinyere, had blamed the unpaid debts to contractors on Adedeji’s handling of tax revenues, accusing him of extra-budgetary spending and threatening to lead a coalition of CSOs to demand an audit of a raft of projects executed under auspices of the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund.
Lawson stated that those behind the call are “economic saboteurs”, opposed to the tax reforms spearheaded by Adedeji, thereby describing the smear campaign against him as “fraudulent” and “deceptive”. He also said that the campaigners, having benefitted “from corruption and systemic decay”, are now “relentlessly working to sabotage Nigeria’s economic transformation.”
“We state without ambiguity that this shadowy coalition does not represent the Arewa community, Nigerian youths, or any credible constituency in our nation.
“These individuals and their sponsors are threatened by the transparency, efficiency and integrity that the FIRS has brought into Nigeria’s tax administration. Their agenda is to derail the important strides being recorded in the economic reform efforts of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the CD said in the statement.
According to the release, “Dr. Zacchaeus Adedeji’s reforms at the FIRS remain one of the most outstanding achievements of the present government.” It describes FIRS chief as a “professional, disciplined, innovative and globally respected” individual, who “under his stewardship Nigeria’s tax system has experienced long-overdue modernization, improved revenue integrity, and enhanced public confidence.”
“The Campaign for Democracy urges Nigerians to completely ignore this reckless campaign of calumny and stand firmly with Dr. Zacchaeus Adedeji, whose remarkable contributions continue to move the country toward financial stability and sustainable growth,” the statement reads.
The body averred its “unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability and good governance”, promising that it would continue to beam its searchlight on “the activities of all public office holders, including Dr. Adedeji, to ensure that the Nigerian people remain the ultimate beneficiaries of government policies and national resources.”
