The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami has implored the media in Nigeria to make taxation a social responsibility issue.
Mr. Nami said this yesterday at a media colloquium and public presentation of a book titled, The Spokesman, written by a journalist, Kelechi Okoronkwo.
Nami noted that the Nigerian media is vibrant adding that the theme of the colloquium: The Media and Social Responsibility in Nigeria, is necessary to further strengthen and shape the social responsibility role of the Nigeria media.
“The media has a critical role to play as a socially responsible institution.
“The power of the media to educate, to inform, to enlighten and ignite must be channeled for social good. Paying of taxes by citizens is a social good. When citizens pay their taxes they empower the government with the resources to provide development for the country.
“The media has a duty to be at the forefront of informing and enlightening citizens on their obligations and responsibilities under tax laws, while creating a channel of conversation and dialogue between government and the citizens, where citizens can demand for accountability of their tax moneys, while government in turn shows proof of use.
“It is through this that the efforts of development, peace, security and economic prosperity can be achieved in our society.”
Mr. Nami further stated that social responsibility by the media involves promoting what is good for the society and discouraging what is bad for the society.
“Media owners must begin to see that their roles to society go beyond the agenda of wealth creation, but must see the inherent duty their platforms have towards enabling a stable, working and growing country.
“I invite all segments of the media in Nigeria to continue to be socially responsible and to continue to be our partners in our bid to make taxation the pivot of national development”, Nami said.
Nami commended Mr. Okoronkwo for using the occasion of his 40th birthday to seek strengthening of the media space in Nigeria for the good of the nation.
