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A non-governmental and advocacy organization, Citizen Quests for Truth Initiative has expressed shock at the door of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) being sealed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The group, in a statement signed by its national publicity secretary Francis Udoka Ndimkoha, said that there appear to be undercurrents to ensure that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC ) is unable to perform its statutory functions.
“If this is not the issue of threats from certain segments of the youth, it is that of certain stakeholders trying to deceive the population into swallowing the bait that the Commission lacks good leadership. by threats of a possible total collapse of law and order in the region, the Commission is, once again, locked into what observers can describe as a thorny tax issue with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
According to the national secretary, “Citizens Quest for Truth Initiative was shocked to learn that workers at Commission headquarters were now barred from accessing their offices as FIRS closed the doors of the facility allegedly for no. -payment. back taxes.
The statement reads as follows: “It is common knowledge that before business premises are sealed by the tax authorities, appropriate tax assessments are carried out after obtaining the establishment’s financial records. While no right-thinking Nigerian wishes to hinder the FIRS by collecting the nation’s legitimate taxes, it stands to reason that the Federal Inland Revenue Service must operate in accordance with established procedure. The NDDC has not been assessed or received notice of formal notice to this effect.
“Admitted, without admitting, that there has been a record, is it not shocking that the FIRS, by this action of sealing the Commission, pretends not to know the challenges of the Commission for 20 years which have led to the Forensic Audit as ordered by the President? Judicial auditors must not only identify the reasons for the poor performance of the Commission in 20 years, but also prepare a strategic framework and a path for a more efficient functioning of the Commission.
“With the closure of the audit, scheduled for the end of July 2021, it smacks of utter contempt for the president who is awaiting the report.
“FIRS is also not unaware of the huge Commission account domiciled in the EFCC by oil companies, mainly due to the unbridled corruption stories that followed the NDDC before the current leadership took over.
“Wouldn’t it have been more commercially logical and to avoid this unjustified setback for the region, to wait for the result of the audit exercise and the resulting recommendations? After all, the president said the report will be part of the mandate of the new board to discuss the way forward. Any action now, therefore, that disrupts the activities of the Commission is not in the best interest of the people of the Niger Delta.
“We are watching the hand of Esau and the voice of Jacob in the actions of the FIRS.
“While we support the need for accountability, we also urge FIRS to take into account the backlash their action may have on already fragile tensions in the region.
“We advise the leadership of FIRS to address the outstanding issues by other means that will avoid an unnecessary crisis and a downturn in the economy, if those seeking to thwart the audit and the appointment of a new one council decide to take advantage of this avoidable face. disabled. “
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