MEDIATRACNET
The search for solutions solutions to the dwindling revenue crisis in the economy is not a challenges for the government alone, but for all interest groups, the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, has said.
Idris who spoke while receiving a delegation of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) led by its President, Adesina Adedayo, said all hands, including those of member of the Institute, must be on deck to find a way out of the situation.
The AGF tasked the President and members of the National Council and Chapter Chairmen of the CITN that the professional tax practitioners and administrators to deploy their expertise to assist the government at all levels uncover new frontiers that could be explored to shore up their dwindling finances.
“The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria has a very important role to play in salvaging the revenue challenges of the government at all levels.
“It is important to make your presence and expertise available to all levels of governments to address the current challenging revenue situation in the country”, he said.
The Accountant General of the Federation urged them to assist in capacity building for government revenue mobilisation personnel to improve their efficiency and also bring up new ideas that would help the government exploit revenue sources that have remained untapped.
He restated the readiness of the Federal Treasury to continue to collaborate with the Institute in whatever initiative that can help shore up the revenue profile of the government.
Idris expressed optimism that associating with the Institute would make a lot of difference in achieving the dream of increased revenue generation in the country.
The Federal Treasury, he said, was to sign a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) with the Institute on the areas of collaboration, promising that all necessary measures would be taken to ensure the collaboration was successful and yielded the desired results.
Noting that the Federal Treasury had a longstanding, mutually beneficial and profit-oriented relationship with the CITN, Idris sought their full participation in a special research commissioned by the Federal Treasury to explore key sources of revenue and make them available to the government.
On the need to improve the capacity of Revenue Directors deployed to Revenue Agencies, the Accountant General of the Federation assured that henceforth the CITN would be engaged to train prospective Revenue Directors before deploying them, to improve their capacity to deliver on their mandate.
In his address, the President of CITN, Adesina Adedayo, commended the Accountant General of the Federation for the successes recorded by the Federal Treasury in the implementation of the financial management reforms initiatives of the Federal Government.
Adedayo mentioned that the Institute presently has 42 District Societies spread across 32 States and the FCT and restated the commitment of the Institute to entrench professionalism in the Nigerian Tax System.
He assured that the Institute was poised to foster a better working relationship with the Federal Treasury.
AGF Ahmed Idris with the Ag.Director Federal Treasury Academy, Orozo, Jatto Audu, in Abuja recently.
AGF with the National President, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Tommy Etim, in Abuja
AGF with the Vice Chancellor, Federal University Dutse in Abuja