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MERGER: Tension grips Customs, FIRS over job losses 

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Merger: Tension grips Customs, FIRS over job losses

Tension has taken hold of officials of both the Nigerian Customs and Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) following indications that the two federal establishments are to be merged before the end of 2016 fourth quarter.

 Government has cited dwindling oil receipts and the need to source funds from all available sources with which to execute most of its programme, for the reason for accepting the interim report of the committee set up by the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, to advise her on the possibility of consolidating revenues from the two departments, believed to be the only main source of revenue after oil.

  Adeosun said at the weekend that all machinery had been put in motion towards empowering FIRS to generate more revenue and to enhance this; government would start implementing some reforms as contained in the interim report of the Professor Abiola Sanni-led National Tax Policy Reforms Committee on the merger of the two bodies.

 The Minister reportedly demanded for an adhoc report based on the renewed conditions by most international financial institutors, including AfDB, IMF and World Bank that Nigeria should improve on its internally generated revenue before any financial aid could come to it.

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 However, the committee was said to have relied on an earlier report by study group led by Dr. Dotun Philips during the tenure of  Dr. Okonjo Iweala as finance minister to recommend the merger.

spokesman of the Sanni-led Committee, Mr. Robert Agbai said Nigeria will be better off having Customs and FIRS merged for better revenue to the government coffers.

 “The fear of loss of jobs in both departments does not arise; rather it will close all loopholes through which wastes were being allowed, in terms of duplication of functions.

 “Everyone is aware of the unemployment situation in the country and as such, nobody will deliberately sue for whatever will worsen it, ratter, the right thing must be done like is in practice in other countries, he said.

 But employees of both the customs and FIRS have said that they would resist any move to send them into the labour market through the merger.

 According to a senior officer at the Zone 4 Customs, Lagos, there are already some movements that tend to prove that there might be some shake up in the system.

 He said some countries like Australia and Canada, which had their Customs services merged with the tax offices have already started the process of de-merging it, and wondered why Nigeria is going into it now.

 At the headquarters of FIRS, Abuja, news of the possible merger at the weekend caused tension among many of the staff with fear of unknown.

 They said such a merger will negate the services’ achievements, which had seen it contribute more than 35 percent to the funds for the 2016 budget.

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