Dismay as NIPOST, FIRS spat continues

Dismay as NIPOST, FIRS spat continues

By John Eche

Nigerians are expressing their dismay and disgust over the seeming lack of coordination of governmental activities in the country.

The latest expression of the situation, The Difference can report is the continuation of the Twitter war between the Nigerian Postal Services and the Federal Inland Revenue Service on the question of which between them should be in charge of stamp duty collection in the country.

In a series of tweets the Chairman of NIPOST had asked Nigerians to step in on the side of the agency in the matter.

The initial post from the Chairman of NIPOSY had read:

‘Maimuna Abubakar
@ref_ng
·
Aug 2
I am worried for NIPOST, having sleepless night because of NIPOST, we need the general public to come to our aid, FIRS stole our mandate..#justicefornipost’

Feeling slighted, the FIRS also took to the same social media platform to strongly denounce NIPOST and its viewpoint, a development that has provoked dismay and disgust from Nigerians.

Responding to the face-off, an upset commentator tweeted:

‘IyiOluwaRed heartKhawlah👸🏾
@Tribe_of_Khawla
Replying to
@firsNigeria
Whoever wrote this needs to be sacked as soon as possible. This is unprofessional & rude. It’s like Nigerian governmental departments are going crazy & fighting themselves in the market square. We are Nigerians, we are meant to have class but from this post, this department lacks it.’

There have been other instances of skirmishes between different government establishments and functionaries including one involving the office of the Minister of Communications and that of the Special Adviser on Diaspora Affairs.

Other than the social media, there have also been public brushes involving different government agencies and functionaries, including that between the EFCC and the DSS. Commentators say that while turf wars are not a strange occurrence in government, their frequency in Nigeria at the moment has indeed become quiet distracting and bothersome.

Below is the full text of the FIRS rebuttal:

‘FIRS Nigeria
@firsNigeria
·
47m
Replying to
@firsNigeria
Our attention was drawn to the tweet by Mrs. Abubakar. Her indecorous tweet would not have deserved any response but for the sensitive nature of the issue at stake, which if not sensibly treated and promptly corrected would likely mislead the public.
FIRS Nigeria
@firsNigeria
·
47m
To be sure, NIPOST is a government parastatal established by Decree 41 of 1992 with the function to *develop, promote, and provide adequate and efficiently co-ordinated postal services at reasonable rates* .
FIRS Nigeria
@firsNigeria
·
47m
This function is clearly contrary to the claim by NIPOST over the administration of stamp duties in Nigeria.
On the other hand, the FIRS is the sole agency of got charged with the responsibility of *assessing, collecting, and accounting for all tax types including Stamp Duties*
FIRS Nigeria
@firsNigeria
·
47m
It is therefore shocking to us that such a privileged young lady who happened to be appointed to high office would throw all caution to the air to cast aspersions on reputable public institutions like the National Assembly and FIRS, which she accused of stealing NIPOST idea.
FIRS Nigeria
@firsNigeria
·
47m
This, to say the least, is a preposterous claim and great disservice to the government and people of Nigeria.
We wish to state categorically that, as an agency which operates within the ambit of the law…
FIRS Nigeria
@firsNigeria
·
47m
The FIRS is determined to not only ensure that all monies collected by NIPOST into its illegally operated Stamp Duties Account are fully remitted into the Federation Account but also make sure that any kobo not accounted for in that account is legally recovered…
FIRS Nigeria
@firsNigeria
·
47m
in line with the charge of President Muhammadu Buhari to the recently inaugurated Inter-ministerial committee on the recovery of stamp duties from 2016 till date.
FIRS Nigeria
@firsNigeria
·
47m
In addition, anyone found culpable of misappropriating the funds in the said illegal NIPOST Stamp Duties Account would be made to face the law as provisioned by the country’s statute books.
FIRS Nigeria
@firsNigeria
·
47m
The public is hereby reminded that we at the FIRS are resolute in our resolve to safeguard national interests and not any personal ego or interest as NIPOST officials appear to carry on lately.
FIRS Nigeria
@firsNigeria
·
47m
We therefore call on right-thinking Nigerians to disregard that ill-advised tweet by Mrs. Maimuna Abubakar and allied misinformation being disseminated by NIPOST in relation to Stamp Duties collection, which by law is the responsibility of the FIRS.
FIRS Nigeria
@firsNigeria
·
47m
Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad
Director Communication and Liaison
Federal Inland Revenue Service’

Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo