Like a medieval muscle to the old English crown, Tunde Fowler has become a much dreaded spectre or sort; particularly to stalwarts of the Abuja high society. These days, you could mistake him for a Chancellor of the Exchequer, a man whose duties entrusts him with a certain amount of misery which it is his duty to distribute as fairly as he can. That explains Fowlers capacity to “terrorise” the rich and famous worth. More importantly, it explains why in Abuja like Lagos, every monetary venture never escapes his axe of tax.
Today, the fear of Tunde Fowler is indeed, the beginning of wisdom; particularly to the league of rich folks in Abuja. The social elements notable for their enviable capacities to enrich the city’s social scene have virtually retreated into an anonymous cocoon. For instance, when HighLife ran into some notable men recently in Abuja, they narrated their ordeal in the hands of FIRS staff.
Fowler allegedly sent some of his men to hound them with their business with the intention to extract a huge sum of money as taxes. They had to enter series of negotiation to get their businesses bailed out of the exorbitant taxes levied against them. In fact, one of them insinuated that the fun-loving Chairman of the revenue board had tutored many of his employees to make reading society journals and socialising their cardinal pastimes to enable them lay their hands on information that may provide them with leads. They now detest publicity these days so much that they do not do anything that can place the names of their businesses on mass media materials. Who says the avoidance of taxes isn’t the only pursuit that still carries any reward?
