Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has reacted to the mandate theft allegations levelled by Maimuna Abubakar, Chair of the board of Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST).
The Herald on Monday reported that NIPOST Boss launched a barrage of accusations against FIRS where she alleged the revenue service stole the mandate of the postal service as well as took over the responsibility of printing stamps, which she claimed to be the duty of NIPOST.
Maimuna Abubakar made these allegations in a thread of tweets on the agency’s official account, as she called on Nigerians for help and trend #JusticeForNIPOST
Reacting to her claims, Abdullahi Ahmad, FIRS Director of communication and liaison reminded Madam Abubakar there was a clear difference between Stamp duties and Postage stamps , disclosing FIRS was in its rights to collect funds from the sales of stamp duties.
THAT VEXED NIPOST TWEET BY MRS. MAIMUNA ABUBAKAR
We appreciate the general public for demonstrating deep knowledge of the difference between Stamp Duty and Postage Stamp. It is unfortunate that Mrs. Maimuna Abubakar, Chairperson of the NIPOST Board is yet to understand this.
The Inland Revenue Service in a statement alleged NIPOST has been remitting government funds into an illegal account.
FIRS Director vowed to recover all the monies from the illegal account even to the last kobo
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…
Read the full statement
“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.
“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* .
“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*
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
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