Ahmad Tijjani Abdul, Kano
Barring any last minute change, Federal Inland Revenue staff would begin the process of electing delegates across its formations on Monday for the 2021 Quadrant Delegates election.
The first process of the 2021 election due on Monday, has raised tension at the revenue collection agency following widespread complaints by staff that the foundation process, key to emergence of leaders has been allegedly comprised by the management.
FIRS has two union bodies- Nigeria Civil Service Union ( NCNCU), and Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) headed by Alhaji Idris Alhassan, and Mr. Okere Samson respectively.
Findings revealed that while the NCNSU election usually holds peacefully in the service, that of ASCSN never comes easy during and after election.
Further investigation revealed that election into these two bodies were usually conducted through delegate elections across the offices of the service nation wide, and the delegates in turn voted the exco at every quadrant delegate conference .
Checks by this paper revealed that as at Saturday, the FIRS electoral body kept to its chest how it intends to conduct the delegates election in outstations as no time table was available for the exercise.
The findings further revealed that there are high level coersion of staff by certain vested interest among the management team to whip up sentiments to make staff/delegates fall in line or lose their job prematurely .
The situation has polarised the body as different interest groups emerged over the weekend to pursue regional agenda.
Finding also revealed that a certain FIRS director has his younger brother running along side Comrade Lekwort Thomas Friday, Comrade Ahmed Abah Terab, and Comrade Abubakar Dalhatu , and Comrade Ajoge J.Yakubu for the chairmanship position, and it is suspected, the unnamed Director was behind the underhand tactics to subvert the wish of the staff.
In this regard, delegates from the 19 outstation states of the FIRS have concluded plans to boycott the forthcoming delegate election scheduled to hold later this month in Abuja, federal capital Territory.
VerityNews learnt that the planned boycott was sequel to what sources close to emerging plot described as “undue interference” of FIRS management on union matters”
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At a meeting held over the weekend in Damaturu to perfect a regional strategy to overcome what sources explained was to address a comon problem, they called on FIRS management to provide a level playing field for contestants.
A competent source privy to the Damaturu meeting disclosed that there are sustained efforts by some outgoing officials to shortchange the region, as they were alleged to have altered the delegate lists that have been forwarded to state Coordinators and tax controllers nationwide for adoption.
The meeting that held during the weekend in Damaturu, Yobe came on the heels of smilar meetings that held also in Ibadan, Lagos and Enugu. X x creeperrq
At Ibadan, Oyo state last Thursday, south west nc 4se442 complained openly of a plot by an interested management staff to scuttle fair proceedings.
A source conversant with the bitter power struggle confided in this tabloid that the “Ibadan meeting gave impetus to Northern groups to speak up because some rogue elements were impersonating the entire FIRS management to score cheap political goal.”
Speaking further, the source alleged that “one of the directors whose siblings is contesting for the plum job had so manipulated the process that he has suppressed memos distancing the management from the crisis from getting to the outstation.
However, it was learnt that seven members out of the 11 outgoing exo members wrote the FIRS management and the national body of ASCSN to postpone the delegates election scheduled for 21 February 2021.
Their grouse was that “in the light of security situation in the south east where breach could snowball into ethnic witch hunt, we believe delegates are safe in Abuja than anywhere else. “
Investigation also revealed that the unnamed director suppressed every effort by the management of the Service to distance themselves from the manipulation.
Despite the perceived general disposition of the Management, checks indicated that many management staff were never part of this rigging calculation as the EC/FIRS, had charged in various fora for a level playing field, and expressed readiness to work with whoever emerges.
The EC/FIRS made it clear in various meeting and interactions that the collection of taxes to meet up with the target and mandate of the service should be of major concern to the management team.
When contacted, Abdullahi Ismail, Head Corporate Services, FIRS could not be reached, neither did he respond to the SMS sent to his known GSM line.