In privileged and powerful circles, there’s a consensus that whatever happens, the administration of Dr Babatunde Fowler as the immediate past executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Services, FIRS, will not come under investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. And the man who made the FIRS his oyster for four years cannot be happier at the information.
You would recall that despite concerted efforts and consultations by Fowler and his promoters to be retained on the job, he was replaced by a tax consultant, Muhammad M. Nami, as the helmsman at the FIRS early December 2019. Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Public Affairs, announced that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the composition of a new board for the FIRS, subject to Senate confirmation.
Fowler was appointed as the FIRS chairman on August 20, 2015, but confirmed by the Senate on December 9, 2015. The FIRS Establishment Act stipulates that “the executive chairman shall be appointed by the President subject to the confirmation of the Senate. The chairman and other members of the board, other than ex-officio members, shall each hold office for a term of four years, renewable once only.”
The end came in December for the national acclaim and influence, hedonism and limitless flow of money that Fowler enjoyed while his stint lasted. Before his ouster, he was being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, as part of investigations into the sleaze in the agency. In May 2019, 40 senior and junior management staff of the FIRS, including the Director of Finance, Mr. M. Auta, were arrested for an alleged N2.1billion scam purportedly siphoned through the alleged payment of Duty Tour Allowances (DTA) to the staff.
Some of the suspects were reportedly paid as much as N101million among other eye-watering figures. The international passports of 10 of the officials were seized to restrict their movement to the country pending the conclusion of investigations. The EFCC said the officials, many of who are trusted and loyal aides of Fowler, were arrested for “the alleged inflation of Duty Tour Allowances, humongous payments to staff, diversion of funds and outright stealing of public funds.” It added that there was information that some senior management officials were using their subordinates to siphon funds from the accounts of the FIRS in the guise of travelling allowances. The practice was that the funds were paid to the staff and after little deductions; the bulk of the money was transferred to the senior management staff.
The EFCC stated, “As civil servants, some of the suspects were paid as much as N101million, N97million, N89million, N84million, N65million, N52million and N46million as Duty Tour Allowances. There is no way a civil servant can earn about N101million in his or her 35 years in service. In some instances, some staff claimed to have been in Lagos, Sokoto, Calabar on the same day and collected DTA. Most of the DTA allowances were not used for official purposes or public service. This is a case of stealing and money laundering.”
Nothing official has emanated from the EFCC since Fowler was removed which stirred allegations that his comeuppance may be nigh. But those who know say three factors may forever keep the EFCC at bay; his closeness to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; the fact that he is a pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God whose General Overseer, Pastor E.A Adeboye commands the reverence of the president; and being a loyalist of the national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
