This statement was made during a meeting held on Tuesday at the Revenue House in Abuja, where Adedeji welcomed General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, along with his team of Generals.
In a statement released by Dare Adekanmbi, the Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS chairman, Adedeji was quoted as expressing the vital role played by the armed forces in creating a safe and secure environment for businesses to thrive. He highlighted that without such a secure atmosphere, FIRS would face challenges in its revenue collection efforts. Adedeji's acknowledgment underscores the interdependence between national security, business prosperity, and the successful execution of revenue-collection initiatives.
He said, “A lot of people will ask: What is the relationship between the Armed Forces and the FIRS? What you will hear President Bola Tinubu say at all times is that we will not tax the seeds, but the fruits from them. This means when we plant the seeds, we water it to grow.
“The Armed Forces personnel are the people who help us to guide the vineyard where the seeds are planted, especially in the oil and gas industry. They make it possible for us to go into the vineyards to pluck the fruits. Without you, we will not have the right fruits. If there is no security, there is no way prosperity can happen.
“We are interested in prosperity because that is what we want to tax. So, there is a symbiotic relationship between the Armed Forces and FIRS. We don’t take this relationship for granted. When companies don’t run as a result of insecurity, they will not make profits and when they don’t make profit, there will be nothing to tax.”
According to the FIRS boss, that is why the welfare of members of the Armed Forces and security operatives in general is number one on the agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
“It is when we have security that prosperity can come and it is when there is prosperity that we will have the revenue to give to the federation,” Adedeji said.
