BUHARI SACKS FIRS CHAIRMAN, APPOINTS REPLACEMENT

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed William Babatunde Fowler as Acting Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), a statement by Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity, has said.
Mr. Buhari, according to the statement, also appointed Aliyu Yahaya Gusau as Director-General , Budget Office of the Federation.
Mr. Fowler is replacing Samuel Odugbesan, a former Coordinating Director at the agency, who was appointed to the position by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan in March this year.

The FIRS has not had a substantive chairman since the departure of Ifueko Omogui-Okauru in 2012.
Kabir Mashi succeeded Mrs. Omogui-Okauru in acting capacity and remained in that capacity till March 2015.
Mr. Fowler, the new FIRS boss, was the Chief Executive Officer/Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue from 2005 to 2014.
He had his higher education in the United States where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin and a Master of Business Administration degree from the California State University.
Before joining the service of the Lagos State Government, Dr. Fowler worked in the banking sector for about 20 years with long stints at Credit Lyonnais Nigeria Limited and Chartered Bank.
Under his leadership, the Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue reportedly achieved a sharp increase in internally generated revenue from an average of N3.6. billion per month in January 2006, to an average of about N20.5 billion per month in 2013.
Fowler, who holds an Honorary Doctorate Degree of the Irish International University, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and the Business Management Association of the United Kingdom.
He will serve as Acting Executive Chairman of FIRS until his appointment is confirmed by the Senate.
Mr. Gusau’s appointment as DG of the Budget Office, is with effect from August 18, 2015 and is for a term of four years, renewable for another four years, unless he attains the retirement age of 60 years or completes 35 years of pensionable service.