THE Presidency, has rejected the claim of missing stamp duty of N89.09 trillion describing the Committee on the Reconciliation and Recovery of All Stamp Duties as illegal.
the Senior Special Assistant to the President for Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, made this statement in response to some claims made by Hon. Muhammmad Gudaji, a Federal lawmaker, who claimed to be the committee’s secretary.
Gudaji said that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and other authorities were working to thwart investigations into the recovery of the N89 trillion stamp in an interview with journalists in Abuja.
According to him, the committee was established in 2013 when he informed the president about a research on stamp duties that the School of Banking Honours conducted.
Gudaji stated that the office of the SGF wrote a letter to the committee to stop its activities while the FIRS wrote another letter claiming that it was the only body recognised by law to deal with revenues, taxes and levies issues.
However, Shehu said that the committee was disbanded at the president’s request in an interview adding that nothing, he said, supported Gudaji’s outrageous allegations against the administration.
Shehu said: “In response to press enquiries on the issues raised in a viral video by Hon. Gudaji Kazaure, I wish to state as follow: In the first instance, the committee on the alleged loss of stamp duty funds he is talking about is an illegal committee, it was dissolved on directive of the President.
“Anyone familiar with our constitution will find it curious that a member of the Parliament is the secretary of an Executive Committee. It suffices to say that the entire networth of the nation’s finacial sector, the assets of the banking sector put together is not worth N50 trillion, not to talk of the kind of money he is talking about.
“The Central Bank assures that there is absolutely no problem, whatsoever, with money from Stamp Duties.
“There is a committee duly set up by the President in June 2020 chaired by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and the secretary is the Chairman of the Federal Internal Revenue Service, FIRS that is currently reconciling the stamp duty accounts. The job is not finished.
“As it is, there is nothing to give credence to wild accusations by made against the administration.
“Following speculation and the many allegations, earlier investigations were commissioned by government departments and agencies including the Ministry of Finance, the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Service, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation and nothing sensational had been discovered by them. Issues of reconciliation are being handled.”
