NIPOST Accuses FIRS of Stealing Mandate

Maimuna Abubakar, chairman of the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) has said that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has stolen the mandate of NIPOST.

But the FIRS said that it would not want to comment on the matter.

The FIRS and NIPOST have been at loggerheads over the collection of stamp duty on behalf of the Federal Government

Abubakar had in a series of tweets recently, said the FIRS, which is the agency responsible for assessing, collecting, and accounting for tax accruing to the Federal Government, had begun printing postage stamps.

She subsequently called on Nigerians to ensure that NIPOST gets justice.

Abubakar tweeted, “I am worried for NIPOST, having sleepless nights because of NIPOST, we need the general public to come to our aid; FIRS stole our mandate. FIRS are now selling stamps instead of buying from us. What is happening, are we expected to keep quiet and let FIRS kill and bury NIPOST?

“We need to get our mandate. NIPOST are the sole custodians of national stamps, another agency printing and selling stamps is against the law of the land.”

The NIPOST chairman said the FIRS tactically removed her agency from the finance bill despite the contributions the postal service made to the bill.

She further stated that the postal service had generated over N60 billion which had been deposited in the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Abubakar stated, “FIRS did not only steal our stamps but also our ideas, what NIPOST had worked for since 2016, our documents, patent and sneaked everything into finance bill and tactically removed the name of NIPOST.

“I like to make this clear, NIPOST is the only agency charged with the responsibility of producing adhesive stamps and revenue for the purchase of such stamp accrues to NIPOST. There is nowhere in FIRS Act or Stamp Duty Act where it’s so stated that FIRS can produce stamp or sale stamp

“Did you know that NIPOST had generated over N60bn in NIPOST, CBN account for the Federal Government?

Abdullahi Ismaila, director of Communications and Liaison Department, FIRS, said the agency would not want to comment on the matter.

“We have no comment on this matter,” Ismaila said.