Muhammad Nami
By Our Reporter
The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), Alhaji Muhammad Manman Nami is currently running from pillar to post to save his job as the House of Representatives Public Account Committee (PAC) asked him to tender his resignation from office if not capable of discharging his official duties.
The Committee also gave the FIRS boss 18 hours to appear before it or be sanctioned.
The Chairman of the Committee, Oluwole Oke stated this on Wednesday in Abuja while reacting to the failure of the FIRS boss to honour the invitation of the committee which is currently probing the dwindling revenues of the Federal Government.
At the resumed hearing, the FIRS boss was expected to appear before the panel on non-payment of taxes to the Government by three foreign firms, Indorama Petrochemical, Indorama fertilizer and Petrochemical Ltd and OIS Indorama, Eleme, Port Harcourt but was absent.
He, however, sent a representation.
The firms were said to be enjoying duty waivers and capital allowances while the third one was said to be operating at the Export Free Zone in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, thus causing huge loss of revenue to the nation.
Following the development, the Committee unanimously endorsed the motion and gave chairman, Nami till 10.00 am Thursday to appear in person, failure of which he would be sanctioned in line with the provision of the Constitution.
The Committee expressed displeasure over the lukewarm attitudes of the Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government to their constitutional responsibilities on accountability.
According to the Chairman of the Committee, “This Parliament is the symbol of democracy, we are the representatives of the people, if President Muhammadu Buhari can shun appearance before the Parliament whenever the need be, why not his appointees? Enough is enough, if the FIRS boss cannot perform his constitutional responsibilities again, he should turn in his letter of resignation immediately.
“Is this how he wants to pay back the Mr President who gave him the appointment? The nation is losing billions of naira from tax evasion on a daily basis, and the man in charge is expected to come to the Parliament so that a solution can be found on how to stop the ugly development but he has refused to honour the invitation.”
