The Minister of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Bello has urged the newly recruited staff of FCT Inland Revenue Service to shun all acts of corruption no matter how tempting the situations might be.
The minister gave this advice during the induction ceremony of the newly recruited staff of the revenue agency in Abuja Nigeria’s capital.
Malam Bello also advised them to resist the temptation to diminish or write-off payments due to the government in exchange for mundane gratifications or to think of it as an act of kindness to reduce the Revenue due to Government on your account or at your level.
Bello, who was represented by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Olusade Adesola, called on the newly recruited staff to learn how to justify every expenditure and ensure that economy is always maintained by discouraging wastage of public funds on ill-advised purchases at any time.
According to him, “As a Public Servant, you are expected to imbibe core values of the service codified in the acronym STEP which means Stewardship, Trust, Engagement, and Professionalism.
“The manifestation of these values would require that you perform your “duties properly and efficiently and display professional discipline, dignity, integrity, equity, impartiality, fairness, public-spiritedness and courtesy in the discharge of your functions, notably in your relations with superiors, colleagues, and subordinates, as well as with the public.
“You should ensure at all times that public property under your responsibility is managed most appropriately and efficiently. Your conduct shall be deemed to be appropriate only when you behave in a manner that enhances public confidence and boosts the image of the Service,” he said.
The minister further said that new staff would be given set targets to achieve and for which they cannot afford to fail, that their career progression will be tied to their performance.
“Your role in helping us achieve our mandate is not only essential but critical. I, therefore, urge you to be alive to your responsibilities at all times by being hardworking, innovative, and honest,” he said.
The Chairman of FCT-IRS, Mr. Abdullahi Attah while speaking with journalists, said that the agency was able to recruit about 500 new staff cut across the 36 States of the country, with the hope of using them to boost revenue generation in the nation’s capital.
Mr Attah noted that the FCT administration was perfecting efforts on its property tax bill which will further shore up it IGR.
The Chairman who explained that sixty percent of the country’s revenues is from Lagos state assured the administration that, the agency would work hard to see how they work super Lagos that in the next ten years.
He also stated that despite the pandemic last year, his organisation was able to improve revenue generation, even as he called for cooperation of the Area Councils, other stakeholders and urged the public to always pay their taxes.
Hauwa Abu
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