December 4, 2019

Fowler In Last-Ditch Efforts To Secure 2nd Term As FIRS Boss


-By Sule Imoru

Mr Babatunde Fowler, FIRS boss is reportedly engaged in intense lobbying currently at the Senate and the Presidency to get a fresh appointment. Its five days to the end of his tenure, but President Muhammadu Buhari has shown no sign of renewing his tenure even as investigations show that no fresh request had been sent to the Senate.

As at press time, there had been no letter to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, conveying any request from President Buhari regarding Fowler.

Fowler, who is a childhood friend and former classmate of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, was appointed as the Chairman of the FIRS on August 20, 2015 but was confirmed by the Senate on December 9, 2015 which means his tenure ends on December 8, 2019.
Fowler disclosed in January that the FIRS under his leadership generated its highest revenue ever in 2018 with a total sum of N5.3tn.
He said the target for the year 2019 was N9tn.
Meanwhile, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, however said that the President would have the final say. When asked if Fowler could be re-appointed even after the end of his tenure, Shehu said, “It’s the President that will decide when and what happens so we just have to wait.”