The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has rubbished reports that one of its officials tested positive to Coronavirus.

In a recent statement signed by the Director, Communications and Liaison Department, FIRS, Abdullahi Ahmad, he revealed that some of their officials have been in self-isolation for five days and are yet to test positive for the virus.

According to him, the rumors on social media are false and every member is free of the virus as at now.

He added that Nigerians should discountenance any other reports apart from the information he has given.

It read, “The Service hereby states unequivocally that no member of staff at the FIRS has tested positive to COVID-19 as being peddled on Social Media.

“Members of the public are therefore advised to discountenance the claim that a FIRS official has tested positive FOR COVID-19.”

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The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) is the agency responsible for assessing, collecting and accounting for tax and other revenues accruing to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) was created in 1943. Prior to that time, its functions had been performed by the Inland Revenue Department of British West Africa. The Board of Inland Revenue was created in 1958, and the service gained autonomy with the passing of the FIRS (Establishment) Act 13 of 2007.

In 2003, the Federal Government of Nigeria recognized that poor service delivery in the public sector had become an urgent national issue and undertook a series of steps that lead to the entering into a Service Compact (SERVICOM) with all Nigerians in March 2004.

This was followed by the creation of the SERVICOM office within the Presidency to ensure the entrenchment of excellent service delivery in the public sector in policy, programmes and practice. In line with the subsequent Presidential Mandate, the FIRS created a unit in 2014 to institutionalize Service Delivery within the Service. This unit has undergone various transformations to meet the tempo of ever-changing FIRS organizational reforms and the needs of taxpaying public and stakeholders. In 2011 FIRS created a Taxpayer Service Department (TPSD) for enhanced focus on taxpayers as well as National Taxpayer Advocate position (in 2012) to ensure effective high-level advocacy for taxpayers.