THE Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) has reclaimed the collection of stamp duty charges from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy, announced on Thursday.
The development puts to bed more than three years of controversy and acrimony over who, between the two federal agencies, should collect stamp duty charges in the country.
Pantami commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the National Assembly, especially the Senate and House Committees on Communications and Digital Economy, for their interventions in the matter.
He also praised the management of NIPOST and other stakeholders for their resilience, saying it was heartwarming that critical stakeholders ensured that justice was done on the issue.
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Pantami made the remarks at the launch of Nigeria’s 60th Independence Anniversary Commemorative Postage Stamps held at the Digital Economy Complex, Mbora, Abuja.
“Our efforts regarding the issue of stamp duty collection with other government Institutions have yielded positive results. NIPOST has been recognised as a government agency with statutory and historical authority to be the producer of stamps and recognised for collection of stamp duties for validation of financial transactions in the country.
“We appreciate Mr. President for listening to our complaints, and we extend our gratitude to him and the Senate and House committees for their intervention in ensuring that justice was done,” Pantami said.
The minister further said that challenges of regulation as well as policy and financing confronting NIPOST over the years was being addressed with a view to placing the agency on a platform that would enable it to generate revenue for the federal government.
He said NIPOST would be unbundled into three companies to boost its operations, while efforts were on the pipeline for the Federal Executive Council to approve the renovation and rehabilitation of all its dilapidated offices across Nigeria.
The minister noted that 97 percent of the rule-making procedures of NIPOST was being done to facilitate robust debates on the acts establishing the agency, asserting that this was being done to ensure robust contributions from stakeholders any time there was a need.
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In her remark, chairman of NIPOST board, Hajiya Maimuna Abubakar, said NIPOST, by the presentation of anniversary stamps, had again shown that it would continue to play its roles in advancing the rich culture and historical heritage of the country.
” The postal industry, from time immemorial, has fostered the use of postage stamp as a veritable medium for nurturing of culture,” she said.
“Nigeria as a country is amply blessed with historical evidence of great works of arts, cultural monuments and features that help in the transmission of cultural heritage from one generation to another.
“Many of such have been reflected on Nigerian postal stamps, most especially in colonial and post-colonial Nigeria. A strong Nigeria must be a cultural Nigeria and NIPOST has a role to play in advancing this by marking events such as this one.”
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