As part of living up to its mandate to prevent offences of corruption, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, has stated his willingness to foster a partnership request by the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) to combat fraud, promote transparency and accountability in the national taxation system.
The Commission’s spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua disclosed this in a statement.
According to the statement Aliyu gave the endorsement when the President of CITN, Mr. Samuel Agbeluyi, paid a courtesy visit to the ICPC Headquarters in Abuja.
Aliyu outlined key agenda for the partnership to include public awareness, technology and policy advocacy, which according to him, were crucial to the promotion of transparency, accountability and excellence in the taxation sector; stressing the need for Nigerians to contribute to its development by normalising tax payment.
He further stated that “the relationship between ICPC and CITN will be consolidated by revisiting the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and ensuring that the terms are reviewed and improved upon”.
ICPC boss subsequently assured CITN of the Commission’s unwavering support, as well as collaboration with other key players in the sector, including Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to effectively prevent and check tax related offences.
Agbeluyi reiterated “The commitment of CITN is to make Nigeria great, by plugging loopholes in the taxation system and this has led us to numerous interactions with stakeholders to discuss promoting excellence, professionalism and ethical standards in the practice of taxation”.
He further stated that “The crucial role that an efficient tax system plays in building a sustainable and prosperous economy cannot be over emphasised. In his opinion, the drive to make taxation a cornerstone of national economic development necessitated collaboration with key stakeholders”.
He identified capacity building and public advocacy as some of the areas in which the institute hoped to partner, with the aim of creating a robust and efficient tax administration system that will boost revenue generation of the country.
