By Fola James
Former Chairman, Federal Internal Revenue Service, FIRS, Babatunde Fowler lobbied the presidency to allow him retain his job but was rebuffed, the magazine has learnt.
In a letter dated December 9, 2019 the sacked FIRS boss pleaded with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha to allow him continue with his job.
He enumerated his achievements, appealing that he should be considered for reappointment because he needed to consolidate on his good works in the agency in the last four years.
But President Buhari ignored his plea and appointed Mohammed M. Nami to take over as the executive chairman of the revenue generating agency.
With the appointment, President Buhari has again drawn the anger of critcs who described him as a nepotic leader.
The president has come under fire for appointing majorly people of northern extraction to juicy positions in his government.
The appointment of Nami, who has effectively taken over FIRS during a brief ceremony at the agency’s head office in Abuja has therefore added to the number of northern politicians controlling major revenue agencies in the country.
The NNPC, government’s oil company is headed by Abba Kyari from Borno state, same place where Nami hailed from.
Mordecai Ladan from Niger state is the head of the DPR, while Hamid Ali, a retired colonel, is the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS.
The PPPRA is headed by another northerner, Abubakadir Saidu from Katsina the president’s home state.
Also on the list is Hadiza Bala Usman, the managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA. She’s also from Katsina state.
“President Buhari has now made sure that ahead the 2023 general election, the economy is now fully in the hands of his henchmen.
There’s a big implication in that because you need money to contest election in Nigeria.
I agree to some suggestions that Buhari is trying to empower the north with the war chest to defeat candidates from other part of the country who may want to take a shot at the presidency in 2023.” Gbenga Kamoru a politician in Lagos told the magazine on Tuesday.
