Babatunde Fowlerⓘ (born 12 August 1956) is a Nigerian public officer, tax administrator and social reformer. He was the executive chairman Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue and Chief Executive Officer Lagos State Internal Revenue Service. He is the former executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).[1][2]
Babatunde Fowler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 12 August 1956 Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria |
| Occupation | Tax Administrator |
| Spouse |
Rosemary Fowler (m. 1982) |
Career edit
The Board of internal revenue became autonomous and self-accounting with the passage into law in January 2006 of the Lagos State Revenue Administration Law and Fowler was appointed as the first CEO of the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service and executive chairman of the Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue.[3]
With this re-engineering, the new Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue has achieved a sharp increase in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from an average of ₦3.6 billion per month in January 2006 to an average of over ₦20.5 billion per month in 2014.[4]
Advocacy edit
Foweler advocates for less dependence on oil. The position was reiterated by him at an international conference where he warned the Federal Government of Nigeria that the "drastic drop in revenue had a negative impact on the balance in the federation account and by extension the amount accruing to the three tiers of government (in Nigeria) during the year 2009".[5] In stimulating interest and raising awareness on tax education at an early stage in life, Fowler introduced a competition for pupils which is funded by his board in which winners are given cash awards and scholarships.[6]
References edit
- ^ SIMEON EBULU. "'Lagos is powered by internally-generated revenue' - Tunde Fowler". The Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
- ^ LIRS. "Dr Babatunde Fowler". Internal Revenue Service - Lagos State.
- ^ "Buhari Appoints Babatunde Fowler New FIRS Chairman". Retrieved 2015-08-20.
- ^ News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). "Lagos generates N120bn from tax in 6 months". The Sun Newspaper. Archived from the original on 2014-12-03. Retrieved 2014-07-31.
- ^ EMR. "FG cautioned on over-dependence on oil revenue". Energy Mix Report. Archived from the original on 2018-09-29. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
- ^ MOTUNRAYO ABODERIN. "LIRS splashes N.5m on essay contest for pupils". Punch Newspaper. Archived from the original on 2012-10-28. Retrieved 2012-10-26.