The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has moved to institutionalise a comprehensive welfare scheme for its workforce, unveiling measures that guarantee lifetime support for families of staff who die in service, following the recent Lagos fire tragedy that claimed four employees.
Speaking at a memorial service for the deceased, FIRS executive chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, unveiled plans for a trust fund, automatic job placement, and full educational sponsorship for the children of staff who die in active service.
“In FIRS, we do not see ourselves as an institution; we are family. And in every family, when one is lost, we all feel the emptiness,” Adedeji said. “This tragedy has reminded us of our collective responsibility, not just to revenue collection, but to the lives that make the Service what it is,” he said.
Unlike previous one-off relief gestures in public service, the proposed trust fund is designed to outlive Adedeji’s tenure. According to him, the structure will be formally ratified with the bereaved families given full control, ensuring transparency and sustainability.
The move comes after four staff, George Faith Ekelikhotse, David Oluwafemi Sunday-Jatto, Onyemelukwe Nkem Agnes, and Ifaranmaye Peter, lost their lives in the September 16 fire at Afriland Towers in Lagos Island, which survivors said was worsened by poor fire response around the Balogun commercial hub.
To the family of the deceased, Adedeji assured that, “we stand with you, and we will continue to walk with you. Please be confident in knowing that you are not alone. I personally pledge that this institution will be a pillar of support for you during these difficult times. Those who can speak, we are not without hope. We trust that our matriarchal God, who sees and knows all things, will keep and rest their souls in a perfect peace.
“And we pray that you will grant strength and confidence to all of us that you left behind. As we remember them today, let us also commit ourselves to the value of education, integrity and science.
Let us lead and work in a way that ensures their memory continues to inspire us.
“May we together carry a legacy forward and may nothing ever diminish the spirit of unity and commitment that define our hope for this nation. And as the policy of the service, I have read the profile and details of our departed colleagues, the dead, burned, raped, beaten and murdered on YouTube and YouTube. It is not in our words that we tell them that they are to be left alone.”
Deputy manager of Tax at the Lagos Island office, Nasiru Usman, who narrowly escaped, urged government regulators to enforce stricter fire safety codes in high-rise commercial buildings. “If there had been prompt action despite the human traffic, something could have been done faster,” he lamented.
Tributes at the service described the fallen officials as “quiet achievers” whose careers embodied humility and commitment to national development.
By BUKOLA ARO-LAMBO @LeadershipNews
