Former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service of Nigeria (FIRS), Mrs. Ifueko Omoguiyi-Okauru, left the chamber of the Lagos State House of Assembly, where she was screened for a government appointment, disappointed after she was reminded by the Speaker, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa, that the Economic Team in which she participated, failed Nigeria.
Mrs. Omoguiyi-Okauru, a member of an Economic Team under the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan, was nominated to chair the board of the Employment Trust Fund of Lagos State for which the state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, had earmarked N25 billion.
As expected, she attended the screening of the state lawmakers so as to be confirmed for the position.
Though she was confirmed with Akintunde Oyebode, son of former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Akin Oyebode, after what some lawmakers believe was a brilliant performance, the Speaker however picked some holes while naming the challenges Omoguiyi-Okauru would face.
Obasa wondered why the woman would not understand the Yoruba language despite schooling in Lagos up to tertiary level.
He reminded her that she her job as the chairman of the board would make her relate with market women and those who perform menial tasks and trade and who may not understand English Language.
He also reminded her that the Economic Team under which she served was a massive flop as is now obvious with the state of the country’s economy.
“Even if we did not know then, we all know now that it was a woeful team. The country is in a sorry state. Everybody is feeling the impact now and we never heard that someone resigned because of mismanagement,” the Speaker said.
“There is no way you can establish a smooth relationship when you do not understand the language (Yoruba). This is an area you need to address,” he added.
Mrs. Okauru had, while addressing the lawmakers, promised to make the fund a success as she had done with building many companies from scratch in the past 30 years.
She also related her achievements in the FIRS saying that she made Nigerians realise that tax payment was a social contract just as the government has no choice than to meet the expectations of the people.
She said she would work with her ideas and the ideas of many others including the lawmakers to meet her target.
She also said part of the fund would be set aside for lawmakers who would want to empower their constituents.
She further promised to make use of effective communication to reach out effectively to beneficiaries of the funds just as she vowed to follow the law in her activities as chairman.
The former FIRS chairman said to ensure that non-residents of the state do not take advantage of the fund, the board would make sure to use the state identification project for residents.
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