By Dele Ogbodo
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) have opened talks on three crucial areas the two agencies could explore to mitigate financial tax frauds and other corrupt vices.
At a courtesy visit on Thursday at the FIRS Headquarters in Abuja, the ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu SAN, stressed the need for effective collaboration to deepen mutual cooperation and synergize efforts for greater impact in the anti-corruption drive.
Spokesperson for ICPC, Mrs. Azuka Ogugua, in a statement made available to the Media, quoted her boss, as saying that the essence of the courtesy visit was hinged on discussing 3 areas of collaboration that would help the cause of tackling corruption most especially the ones that are tax related.
“First of all, there are three critical areas which we need to look at, first to consider is the issue of sharing information between the two organizations and integration of technology. We need to set up a structured process of regular information sharing between us so as to detect potential corruption or fraudulent activities in tax-related matters.
“You have the expertise on tax and we have the mandate of preventing corruption, so I believe effective collaboration would help to identify and tackle the fraudulent practices in the system”
“The second area is the issue of joint investigation and legal reforms. This is an area which the ICPC and the FIRS need to come together because we know that sometimes corruption also come in form of tax evasion and other means of fraud.
“Then the last is the issue of capacity building, which is very important because no organisation can perform its function effectively without the support of the government. We can come together to train or organise programs jointly for members of our staff and organisations so as to enhance our skills and knowledge in detecting and preventing corruption which is related to the issue of tax system in this country.” He said.
The ICPC Boss, who also advocated for a cross-agency committee that will be reviewing and addressing the critical areas of partnership, promised that ICPC was one hundred percent ready to give the FIRS the needed support in the interest of the country’s development.
On his part, the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, expressed delight about ICPC’s visit and the expression of interest to help the revenue-generating agency tackle tax-related frauds in Nigeria.
“I am hopeful and optimistic that we will collaborate effectively, and I am particularly delighted that with your support, our enforcement mandate on tax-matters will improve.”
“We will also develop a framework and we will use technology to do so and I believe you are a ready-made partner for us in the area of revenue generation and the progress, not only for individual agencies but for the federal government as a whole.” he said.