FIRS Partners ICPC, Unveils Anti-corruption Unit

The chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zaccheus Adedeji, said it's agency has constituted a 12-member Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit to ensure zero tolerance for unethical practices.

The body in Partnership with anti-graft agencies, was inaugurated by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission at the Revenue House in Abuja.

Adedeji who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Tayo Koleosho urged the newly inducted members of the anti-corruption unit to live without stains.

A statement by the Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS chairman, Dare Adekanmbi, said Adedeji charged members of the unit to reflect the core values of the agency, urging them to bring integrity and transparency to bear in their roles and responsibilities.

“The easy part of being a member of the FIRS anti-corruption unit has just been done. The real work starts now. The FIRS Executive Chairman, Dr Zaccheus Adedeji, believes that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands.

“The staff of FIRS and, by extension, the taxpayers as well as the general public should be able to relate with the integrity you bring to this responsibility,” Adedeji said.

Chairman, ICPC, Dr. Adamu Aliyu, who was represented by the Director, System Study and Review of the ICPC, Olusegun Adigun, said the FIRS ACTU members would be supported to deliver on their mandate.

“With this inauguration, the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit of the FIRS has been empowered to deliver on its mandate, which includes periodic sensitisation of staff to the ills of corruption; examination of systems, processes and procedures that are prone to corruption and offering solutions;

“Developing and reviewing code of ethics for staff and ensuring compliance with same; monitoring budget and its implementation by the FIRS, coordinating the deployment of the ethics and integrity scorecards and undertaking a preliminary investigation into complaints and reports received.

“The ACTU is not set up as a parallel authority to the management. Rather, they are to work closely with the management to build a reputable agency.”