By Sarah NEGEDU
The newly recruited staff of FCT Internal Revenue Service have been asked to shun all acts of corruption and unprofessional acts that can affect government revenues.
FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, who gave the advice during the induction ceremony of the new staff, advised them to resist the temptation of writing-off payments due to government in exchange for mundane gratifications or as an act of kindness.
Bello, who was represented by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Olusade Adesola, asked the new staff should learn to justify every expenditure and ensure that economy is always maintained by discouraging wastage of public funds on ill-advised purchases at any time.
“As a public servant, you are expected to imbibe core values of the service codified in the acronym STEP which means Stewardship, Trust, Engagement, and Professionalism.
“The manifestation of these values would require that you perform your “duties properly and efficiently and display professional discipline, dignity, integrity, equity, impartiality, fairness, public-spiritedness and courtesy in the discharge of your functions, notably in your relations with superiors, colleagues, and subordinates, as well as with the public.
“You should ensure at all times that public property under your responsibility is managed most appropriately and efficiently. Your conduct shall be deemed to be appropriate only when you behave in a manner that enhances public confidence and boosts the image of the Service,” he said.
The minister further said that new staff would be given set targets to achieve and for which they cannot afford to fail, that their career progression will be tied to their performance.
“Your role in helping us achieve our mandate is not only essential but critical. I, therefore, urge you to be alive to your responsibilities at all times by being hardworking, innovative, and honest,” he said.”
The chairman of FCT-IRS, Mr. Abdullahi Attah, while speaking with journalists, said that the agency recruited about 500 new staff cutting across the 36 States of the country, with the hope of using them to boost revenue generation in the nation’s capital.
