Muhammed Nami, the Executive Chairman of the Federal (Board) Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), has been pressed for details on five staff members employed on alleged ethnic consideration.
The said staffers were initially employed on contract basis and currently are directors in the service.
A lawyer, Olajide Owonla, of Fombina Chambers in Abuja, made the request based on Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2011.
Owonla is demanding the states of origin, local government areas and curriculum vitae of the affected staff members. They are Ahmed Musa, (Head, Finance and Account Department; Abdullahi Isma’ila, (Head, Communication and Liaison Department); and Aisha Hamza Mohammed (Head, Office of Executive Chairman Department).
Others are Ahmed Ndanusa ( Head, Internal Affairs and Efficiency Department); Mustapha Ndaijiwo (Special Assistant (technical) to the Executive Chairman.
Insider sources in the FIRS said the hiring violated sections of the Human Resource Policies and Processes (HRPP) of the FIRS, in respect to advertising the vacancies and ensuring they are competed for on merit basis. The aggrieved staffers cited Section 2.0 of the HRPP, which states: “FIRS shall recruit its staff on the basis of merit through competition, depending on vacancies and in accordance with the Federal Character Principle…”
Also, the HRPP in Section 2.3.1 (b) (iv) says the FIRS shall “adopt both internal and external advertisement of job vacancies for all positions on salary level 7 and above (except otherwise directed by the Board)”. It cannot be ascertained whether the Board wavered advertisement for the vacancies.
Furthermore, the displeased staffers said the FIRS chairman could have looked inward to pick from among competent staffers with required skills for the same positions. This, they say, is based on Section 2.22 (i) of the HRPP, which states that “contract appointment shall only be made where the required skills and competence are not available within the service.”
Equally, Nami has been censured for retiring nine directors in disobedience to a 2016 Presidential circular suspending tenure policy for directors in public service. From his media comments, Nami said his action was lawful and in line with the HRPP recommendation of retirement for directors who have spent eight years and above in such posts.
But his critics scoffed at the excuse, pointing out how similar issue was resolved by the immediate past management.
“Under the past management, overstaying directors were persuaded and given payoffs. This created vacancies for those behind to fill. The process was not chaotic and everyone was happy,” said one FIRS staff.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")