President appoints Fowler as FIRS chief executive: The Nation

•Gusau is DG Budget Office

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

This was announced in a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.

Fowler will serve as Acting Executive Chairman until his appointment is confirmed by the Senate.

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

The statement reads: “He had his higher education in the United States where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Economics  from the University of Wisconsin and a Master of Business Administration degree from the California State University.

“Before joining the service of the Lagos State Government, Dr. Fowler worked in the banking sector for about 20 years . He was at Credit Lyonnais Nigeria Limited and Chartered Bank.

“Under his leadership, the Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue 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 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,” it stated

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

Gusau’s appointment, the statement said, is effective 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.