Mr Babatunde Fowler,
Workers of the Federal Inland Revenue Service on Tuesday faulted the
decision of the immediate past Chairman of the FIRS, Mr Babatunde
Fowler, to hand over to the Coordinating Director, Domestic Taxes Group,
Abiodun Aina.
Fowler, whose replacement was announced on Monday by the Federal
Government, had handed over to Aina in acting capacity, pending the
confirmation of a substantive chairman.
But at an emergency meeting held on Tuesday at the Association of
Civil Servants’ secretariat in Abuja, the workers said the action of
Fowler violated the presidential directive on the handover.
Specifically, the union in a communiqué issued at the end of the
meeting said Aina could not be regarded as the most senior director in
the FIRS.
A copy of the communiqué which was signed by 17 senior officials of
the union was sent to the Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed; the
President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria and the
President of the Nigeria Civil Service Union.
It read in part, “The attention of the Joint Union Council of
FIRS has been drawn to the handover of the chairmanship of FIRS on
acting capacity to Mr Abiodun Aina on Monday December 9 2019.
“This was a clear departure from the Presidential directive on the handover as he (Aina) is not the most senior director.
“Mr Abiodun Aina in the first instance does not have the basic
qualifications to be employed into the Service. Secondly, his
appointment to the position of Coordinating Director was against the
provision of Section 2.19 of the FIRS Human Resource Policies and
Processes.”
The section states that “Appointment to the post of the Coordinating
Director shall be made by the board on the recommendations of the
executive chairman. The appointment shall be open to all confirmed
directors of the Service and it shall be competitive based on
experience, competence and seniority.”
The union also stated that Aina was never a director in the Service,
adding that he was a Senior Special Assistant to Fowler. The union said
if the President’s directive was not reversed by Friday, it would no
longer guarantee industrial harmony at the service.
“If by the close of work on Friday, 13th December, no action is
taken to this effect, the union will no longer guarantee further
industrial harmony in the system.”