The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has announced a two-day national conference aimed at tackling illicit financial flows (IFFs) and enhancing Nigeria’s domestic resource mobilisation. Scheduled for July 22–23 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, the event is part of the agency’s broader efforts to combat tax evasion and strengthen financial integrity.
According to a statement from Dare Adekanmbi, Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS Chairman, the conference will bring together policymakers, tax administrators, law enforcement agencies, anti-corruption bodies, financial experts, and international development partners. Themed, “Combating Illicit Financial Flows: Strengthening Nigeria’s Domestic Resource Mobilisation,” the event will focus on practical strategies to detect, deter, and disrupt financial crimes that undermine revenue generation.
The conference will be chaired by the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, while keynote remarks will be delivered by Irene Ovonji-Odida, a member of the United Nations High-Level Panel on IFFs.
FIRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji described the conference as a milestone in the agency’s renewed campaign against IFFs. “This event will highlight our intensified strategies to strengthen compliance, improve beneficial ownership transparency, and deploy advanced technology to monitor and prevent illicit outflows such as trade mispricing and tax evasion,” he said.
Adedeji noted that the FIRS has already approved targeted capacity-building programmes to equip its personnel with the skills needed to identify and curb illicit financial movements, especially those linked to multinational corporations.
“We’ve also established the Proceeds of Crime Management and Illicit Financial Flows Coordinating Directorate to institutionalise the fight against IFFs within the agency,” he added.
The statement recalled that Nigeria had earlier set up an Inter-Agency Committee on Stopping Illicit Financial Flows, which includes key stakeholders such as the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria Customs Service, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
In her pre-conference remarks, Irene Ovonji-Odida expressed optimism that the event would foster greater national alignment and deepen awareness around the challenges and solutions to illicit financial flows.
The FIRS expects the conference’s outcome to contribute significantly to national development by improving transparency, safeguarding the financial system, and boosting domestic revenue mobilisation.
