FG Flags Off Revenue Recovery Exercise
…Charges Consultants to Complete Assignment in Six Months
By Patience Ikpeme
The Federal Government has commenced a nationwide revenue recovery exercise aimed at boosting the Federation Account by formally inaugurating over 50 consultants engaged for the project.
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) are the lead agencies overseeing the operation, charging the consultants to complete the assignment within six months.
The formal inauguration of the Engaged Consultants for the Revenue Recovery Exercise took place on Monday at the RMAFC Headquarters in Abuja. Chairman of the RMAFC, Dr. Mohammed Bello Shehu, hosted the Special Adviser to the President on Revenue Matters and Chairman, FIRS, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, for the ceremony.
Dr. Shehu confirmed the Commission’s determination to strengthen Nigeria’s fiscal governance and ensure that all revenues due to the Federation are fully accounted for and remitted into the Federation Account.
According to him, “This exercise is not a routine administrative action but a deliberate, result-oriented innovation designed to strengthen fiscal governance and ensure every recoverable naira due to the Federation is transparently remitted.”
He explained that the engagement of consultants is a strategic initiative aimed at plugging revenue leakages, enhancing transparency, and boosting the fiscal capacity of the three tiers of government, in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Dr. Shehu stated: “In line with the constitutional responsibility of the Commission, and with the full support of Mr. President and the Special Advisor to the President on Revenue, as well as the Executive Chairman of the FIRS, this initiative for spatial recovery projects to identify and recover unremitted revenues across sectors of the economy was brought into light.”
The FIRS Chairman, Dr. Adedeji, who was represented by the Coordinating Director of FIRS, Mr. Shettima Tamadi, formally inaugurated the consultants. Mr. Tamadi praised the RMAFC Chairman for his proactive leadership and conveyed the FIRS’s commitment to effective collaboration in realising the objectives of the recovery programme.
He said: “Nigeria has a huge revenue gap, but with stronger collaboration between agencies and partners, we can bridge that gap and achieve sustainable fiscal growth.”
Mr. Joseph Nwaeze Okechukwu, Secretary to the Commission, called on the consultants to work diligently to complete the assignment within the stipulated six-month timeframe. He made it clear that the consultants must ensure all identified recoverable revenues are promptly returned to the Federation Account to support national development priorities.
Delivering the acceptance speech on behalf of the consultants, the lead consultant, Mr. Temitayo Ojeleke, described the engagement as a national call to duty. He assured the Commission and FIRS of their commitment to professionalism, transparency, and measurable results.
Mr. Ojeleke said: “We accept this assignment as partners in Nigeria’s economic renewal, ready to deliver results that will strengthen the nation’s revenue base.”
The inauguration marks a significant milestone in RMAFC’s ongoing efforts to enhance inter-agency collaboration, improve accountability, and maximize revenue generation for the collective benefit of the Federation.
