Just-In: Senate approves Zak Adedeji’s nomination as FIRS Chairman

The Senate on Tuesday approved the nomination of Zak Adedeji as Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, one month after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed him, Special Adviser on Revenue and Acting Chairman of the FIRS and directed the erstwhile FIRS Chairman Muhammad Nami to proceed on three months of pre-retirement leave.

Adedeji who appeared before the upper chamber for his screening on Tuesday and discussed how he plans to improve the nation’s revenue, raised concern over the death of information in the oil and gas sector while promising to bring an end to most of the leakages in the sector.

According to him, the core problem in the country is that of proper data.

He said developing data upon which decisions will be made is fundamental and that upholding such fundamental values will enable sufficient information on the exact number of vessels of crude brought into the county and the concomitant tax.

“The data would be used to identify those in affluence who pay insufficient tax,” he said.

The new FIRS boss also vowed to centralize the identification system in Nigeria and advance the nation’s data mining capacity.

Recall that the President, after appointing Adedeji a Special Adviser, had reportedly written to the Senate for expeditious consideration of the confirmation of Zak’s appointment.

President Tinubu was reported to have also written to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio over his desire for Adedeji’s nomination to be confirmed.

Meanwhile, a peep into his profile reveals that Zacchaeus Adedeji otherwise spelt and called ‘Zak Adedeji’ is a Nigerian accountant and an expert in corporate tax and public finance development.

In the past, it was gathered that the new FIRS Boss served as the Commissioner for Finance in Oyo State from 2011 to 2015 and held the role of Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Council.

Adedeji is a first-class degree holder in accounting from the popular Obafemi Awolowo University and is recognized as one of the youngest chartered accountants in Nigeria’s history.

He has previously worked as a finance manager for Procter & Gamble, a multinational consumer goods corporation.

Born on 8 January, 1978, the 45 years old chartered accountant is a married with children.

His late father was a cocoa merchant from Iwo-Ate community in Ogo-Oluwa local government area of Oyo State.

In another development, President Bola Tinubu who was recently affirmed by the Supreme Court as the duly elected President of Nigeria barely few days ago, has set the ground rules that would guide subsequent Federal Executive Council meetings.

While presiding over the FEC meeting on Monday, at the Council Chambers, Tinubu took a few moments to sound a stern warning saying he had observed unauthorized persons gaining access into the Council Chambers of the State House.

Tinubu also expressed confidence in his choice of Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajiabiamila, warning that all campaigns of calumny against him should stop henceforth.

The President said, “First of all, let me reiterate to all of you the fact that a lot of stories are going around about what is happening. I’ve told everyone in this country that I can make mistakes, they’re bound to air them out and correct them.

“Perfection is that of God Almighty. I have absolute confidence in the integrity of my Chief of Staff. All campaigns of calumny and insinuations should stop, the buck stops here.

“If I make mistakes, I’m ready to own up to it and we’re all doing hands to fight corruption and we want to enforce the law along with you.”

The council also gave a minute of silence for a former member of the FEC and one-time Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Adamu Fika, who died last week at the age of 90.

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