That FIRS 2022 Budget proposal.

The total budget of the FIRS stands at N228bn, surpassing the 2022 budget of the National Assembly (N134bn) and the judiciary (N120bn).

The FIRS budget also surpasses the current 2021 budgets of Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states.

Budgets N17.8bn for miscellaneous expenses

In its 2022 budget proposal, the tax body earmarked N2.5bn for the purchase of land, N3bn for office furniture, N1.5bn for photocopying machines, N2.04bn for computers and N500m for the construction of sports facilities. The agency set aside N1bn for generator fuel and N250m for maintenance while a separate N550m was set aside for purchasing more generators.

The FIRS will spend N6bn on its new headquarters and N2bn on the purchase of vehicles. It budgeted about N1.3bn for cleaning and fumigation of its offices nationwide while N1.4bn will be spent on general maintenance services. The FIRS budgeted about N1.3bn for office stationery and computer consumables while N3bn will be spent on printing non-security documents. The agency will spend N1.4bn on electricity charges, N460m on telephone charges and N1.3bn on security services. The FIRS will spend N7.9bn on donations and N200m as contributions to international organisations. The agency earmarked N800m for legal services, N1.04bn on bank charges, N9.5bn on welfare packages; N1.1bn on staff retreat and N2.9bn on repairs.

The first shocking item confronting us in this budget proposal obviously must be the sum of N2.8bn for “uniforms and clothing” for the year 2022. The “uniforms and clothing” being mentioned here is strictly “drivers’ uniform” – talking of uniforms made with Khaki materials, and we are not talking of those designers’ khaki made up of Comrade Aliyu Adams Oshiomhole’s fame [I am not too sure if the Comrade still wear khaki these days], but just the every poor man’s Khaki in the Nigerian market square.

Hold your breath if you think the cost is too high, even for heaven’s sponsorship. In the year 2019, the same FIRS budgeted One Hundred and Sixty Million Naira [160,000,000] for 850 drivers’ uniforms, bringing the cost of each driver uniform to N188, 235, 29. Can you beat that? And that was in 2019. Enough look on drivers’ uniform as we must look at other items.

Board members shall be earning N370m sitting allowance for the incoming year, N550m for refreshments, N200m for sporting activities, set aside N262.5m for security votes while N17.8bn would be spent on “miscellaneous” expenses.

Other items budgeted for by this Tax-Collector Agency in its 2022 proposal; include N2.5bn for the purchase of land, N3bn for office furniture, N1.5bn for photocopying machines, N2.04bn for computers and N500m for the construction of sports facilities. The agency set aside N1bn for generator fuel and N250m for maintenance [of same we may want to assume] while a separate N550m was set aside for purchasing more generators.

After marking out N1bn for generator fuel and N250m for maintenance of same it set aside again another N550m for purchasing more generators.

Above is the sad tale of the Nigerian State. It is the same story through all the Ministries, Departments, Agencies, Parastatals, and even the Presidency.

IS THERE ANY HOPE FOR THE COUNTRY CALLED NIGERIA?

Sources of Information: Punch Newspaper of 17 October 2021.

_Godwin Etakibuebu; a veteran Journalist, wrote from Lagos._