Northern youths under the auspices of Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) rose from an extraordinary meeting in Kaduna with a vote of confidence on Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Babatunde Fowler and Comptroller General of Customs, Col Hameed Ali (rtd.).
The Northern youth who spoke to journalists on Monday, said the duo of Ali and Fowler displayed ingenuity and uncommon devotion to duty by raising the non-oil revenue base in many folds through their agencies, which they said brought Nigeria out of the economic recession.
Speaker of AYA, Muhammad Salihu Danlami, opined that President Muhammadu Buhari was ushered in with a plethora of challenges, principal of which was a steep and steady decline into a harsh economic recession.
Danlami said: “However, it is on record that the government breasted the tape of the challenge and worked the Nigerian economy out of recession in record time never seen before in the world over. This feat was achieved, thanks to the commitment of some very innovative public servants at the helms of affairs of some of our MDAs.
“Thus, the Arewa Youth Assembly is delighted at the masterful detailed attention being accorded by the administrators of these MDAs which has seen them spark to life with outstanding positive results.
“At the risk of sounding immodest, let it be placed on record that the achievement recorded by Mr. Babatunde Fowler and Col. Hameed Ali (rtd.) have achieved enviable records never seen before in Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) respectively since their creation.
“Mr. Fowler took over the reign of FIRS at a time our country was going through economic depression amidst dwindling oil revenues. It was his sheer ingenuity through the raise of non oil revenues base in many folds that brought out our country of the recession.
“Between 2016 and 2018, the non-oil revenue collection grew by over N1 trillion (about 21%). This is a record first for our country at a time when there is a global shift away from oil revenues towards economic diversification in non oil sectors. It is well established fact that Mr. Fowler is an all time ambassador for zero-tolerance of corruption.
“Let’s use this medium as an organization to commend and pass a vote of confidence on the present FIRS management led ably led by Mr. Babatunde Fowler and NCS led by Col. Hameed Ali (rtd.) for raising the non oil revenues to an all time higher and for rising up to the occasion to reverse the then economic recession and steer our country’s economy to an era of boom and progress,” he said.
