The Federal Inland Revenue Service has pledged to integrate gender-responsive planning, budgeting, and data reporting across its operations as part of efforts to strengthen inclusive governance in Nigeria’s tax system.
Speaking at the official launch of the FIRS Gender Desk and Women Network on Tuesday in Abuja, the Executive Chairman of the FIRS, Dr Zacch Adedeji, represented by the Coordinating Director, Medium and Government Taxpayers Group, Dr Dick Irri, described the event as “a powerful declaration of our resolve to embed equity at the heart of our operations, to drive inclusive public service, and to position gender equality not just as a constitutional right, but as a strategic imperative in governance, especially within the Nigerian tax system”.
Adedeji directed the immediate adoption of gender-disaggregated data collection, analysis, and reporting across the FIRS TaxProMax system and relevant departments.
“Within FIRS, I hereby direct the immediate adoption of gender-disaggregated data collection, analysis, and reporting across the TaxProMax system and all relevant departments.
This will better inform our policies and significantly enhance the inclusiveness and responsiveness of our tax administration,” he said.
He further called on the Service’s Policy, Finance & Accounts, Planning, Research, and Statistics functions to fully integrate gender-responsive planning and budgeting.
“Every program, resource allocation, and impact assessment must be viewed through the lens of gender equality,” he added.
The FIRS Chairman said the Gender Desk and Women Network initiative aligned with Nigeria’s National Gender Policy, the Sustainable Development Goals, and international commitments on gender equity.
He also urged close collaboration with the Ministries of Women Affairs, Industry, Trade and Investment, and the Corporate Affairs Commission to develop a nationally recognised definition of women-owned and women-led businesses.
“This definition must be seamlessly integrated into our business registration and regulatory processes,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, commended the leadership of the FIRS for what she described as an act of “strategic foresight” in institutionalising gender mainstreaming within the Service.
She said, “Today’s launch resonates with the mandate I carry as Minister of Women Affairs under the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR: A mandate to empower 10 million women by 2027 to contribute to building Nigeria’s $1 trillion economy”.
The Minister stressed that gender equality must be seen as a “development imperative” and a “cornerstone of sustainable progress,” not merely as a favour.
“Policy without practice is hollow. Implementation without institutionalisation is unsustainable. That is why what we are doing here today matters so much,” she said.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim charged the FIRS to ensure that gender-responsive budgeting becomes integral to revenue policy, while recruitment, retention, and promotion efforts must reflect a deliberate drive for gender parity.
Addressing members of the newly launched FIRS Women Network, she said, “You are now torchbearers. What you are forming is a powerhouse, a collective voice for excellence, integrity, leadership, and impact. My charge to you today is to rise boldly, mentor with determination, advocate strategically, and deliver relentlessly”.
The launch was attended by senior government officials, development partners, members of the diplomatic corps, and FIRS staff.
