New crisis emerges over stamp duties collection

The controversy on who has the responsibility of the collection of stamp duties between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) has lingered unattended as there are indications of a fresh crisis brewing between the Federal Government and labour union over the issue.

President Muhammadu Buhari, in the recently signed Finance Act, had given the responsibility of collecting stamp duties charges to the FIRS, instead of NIPOST, that before now performed the function.

The stripping of NIPOST of the responsibility of collecting stamp duties charges has not gone down well with Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

The labour union has viewed the development as a usurpation of its statutory duty by another agency of government and had even at some point alleged that the decision could lead to the loss of about 15,000 jobs in NIPOST.

In a chat with journalists in Abuja over the matter, the immediate past National President of SSASCGOC and the National Treasurer of TUC, Mohammad Yunusa, said the federal government has already been dragged to court over the matter.

Yunusa said, ”The problem we have that is connected to the Federal Government directly is about the Finance Act. The Finance Act has given the primary functions of NIPOST, which is one of our branches, to FIRS and we have challenged government on this matter even to the court that, that Finance Act must be reversed.

You can’t take the statutory function of NIPOST and give to another agency in the disguise of Finance Act, we can’t accept it.

”Is there any organization by law that is allowed to produce and sell stamps in Nigeria apart from NIPOST?   That’s what they are trying to do but it is not acceptable to us.”

Yunusa, who made these comments on the sidelines of the SSASCGOC, also vowed that his union would do everything possible in its rights to ensure the moves by the government to privatise the Nigerian Communications Satellites were not achieved.

He argued that the agency would go into extinction immediately after its privatisation.

He said, ”The Federal Government is trying to interfere in the Nigerian Communications Satellites (NigComSat). Although, to a great extent, we have settled that matter but they have not entirely removed their hands.