BREAKING NEWS: Buhari appoints Babatunde Fowler as FIRS chairman

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Dr. William Babatunde Fowler as the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

Dr. Fowler was the Chief Executive Officer/Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue from 2005 to 2014.

Fowler is taking over as chairman with an enviable Resume. Under his leadership, the Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue reportedly achieved a sharp increase in internally generated revenue from an average of N3.6. billion per month in January 2006, to an average of about N20.5 billion per month in 2013.

Fowler who began his career as a marketing intern with Avon Products Inc. New York, was later employed by Johnson and Johnson in New Jersey USA, under a MBA International Development Program lasting one year, thereafter he was transferred to join Johnson and Johnson Nigeria between September 1982 and September 1983.

He made a career change from International Finance and Marketing to Banking in January 1984. In the banking industry he had the opportunity to work and also head broad and varied areas of banking operations and business development in two major commercial banks over the next 20 years.

He joined Commercial Bank (Credit Lyonnais Nigeria Limited) in January 1984, where he was exposed to all aspects of International Banking, Risk Management, and Clearing Operations. Positive reforms were introduced by him as the treasurer of the bank. He rose to the position of Apapa Branch Manager.

He left the bank for Chartered Bank in April 1990 as a Senior Manager where he spent the last 14 years in the banking industry.

Upon leaving the banking industry in 2004, Fowler joined the Lagos State Government and was appointed the pioneer Permanent Secretary/ Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue on the 24th of November 2005, thereby upgrading the office of the Executive Chairman to the highest level in the Civil Service.

Fowler, who holds an Honorary Doctorate Degree of the Irish International University, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and the Business Management Association of the United Kingdom.

He will serve as acting Executive Chairman of FIRS until his appointment is confirmed by the Senate.

President Buhari has also appointed Mr. Aliyu Yahaya Gusau as Director-General , Budget Office of the Federation.

Mr. Gusau’s appointment is with effect from August 18, 2015 and is for a term of four years, renewable for another four years, unless he attains the retirement age of 60 years or completes 35 years of pensionable service.