BREAKING: Senate confirms Zak Adedeji as FIRS Chairman

Adedeji’s confirmation comes more than a month after President Bola Tinubu appointed him as his Special Adviser on Revenue, and follows the directive to the former FIRS Chairman, Muhammad Nami, to take pre-retirement leave.

President Bola Tinubu, in a letter to the Senate, urged swift confirmation of Adedeji’s appointment, stating the urgency of the matter.

The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, confirmed the nomination following Adedeji's successful screening.

During his screening before the upper chamber, Adedeji noted his comprehensive plans to enhance the country's revenue streams.

He pinpointed the lack of adequate information in the oil and gas sector as a significant challenge and vowed to tackle this issue head-on.

"The core problem in our country is the absence of proper data," Adedeji stated. He stressed the fundamental importance of developing accurate data to inform decision-making processes and revenue generation strategies.

One of his key proposals is to establish a robust data system that tracks the number of crude oil vessels entering the country and the corresponding taxes. This data, he asserted, would be pivotal in identifying affluent individuals and corporations who are not paying their fair share of taxes. Adedeji committed to plugging revenue leakages by ensuring that these entities contribute their due taxes to the national coffers.

Additionally, Adedeji pledged to centralise Nigeria's identification system, streamlining the process for better efficiency. He also expressed his determination to enhance the nation's data mining capacity, reinforcing the importance of data-driven governance.