FIRS SAGA: ACTING FIRS BOSS ABIODUN AINA SUSPENDS RECRUITMENT EXERCISE INITIATED BY HIS PREDECESSOR AS SENATE CONFIRMS NAMI’S APPIONTMENT

Secret Reporters

As the days go by, more stories are beginning to emerge on the saga that has engulfed the Federal Inland Revenue Service with the departure of Babatunde Fowler whose request for a tenure elongation was turned down, before he controversially handed over to Mr Abiodun Aina whom unionist in the service also claim is not the most qualified and therefore not eligible to be appointed the Chairman in acting capacity.

Few days after Aina’s appointment, a letter addressed to the Honorable Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed seeking for absolute power to run the affairs of the service surfaced. Little was it known that the new man at the helm of affairs at the revenue headquarters had an ace up his sleeve as he has dished the first blow by suspending the recruitment exercise initiated by his embattled predecessor Mr Babatunde Fowler.

In the memo seen by SecretReporters emanating from the office of the Acting-Chairman Federal Inland Revenue Service addressed to the Director, Human Capital Management Development dated December 18, 2019, same day the senate confirmed the appointment of Muhammad Mamman Nami as the Executive Chairman of the service, a directive was issued by Abiodun Aina halting all activities concerning the ongoing recruitment exercise.

According to the document “all newly recruited staff who are yet to complete their documentation as at 10th December, 2019 should discontinue the documentation process henceforth”.

The Director HCMD was further instructed to notify the public of the development through the official FIRS website and to inform staff through the ‘info’ channel that the service is no longer recruiting.

It is yet to be ascertained the motive behind this move by the acting Chairman whom many believe was handpicked by Babatunde Fowler as his temporary replacement. Many Nigerians are of the opinion that perhaps Abiodun Aina with his hands tied after the speedy confirmation of Muhammad Nami by the senate as the Executive Chairman has decided to pitch his tent with the new man onboard or may be trying to clean up the deed by his predecessor within the shortest possible time.