Nami seeks better relationship with partners at Inaugural meeting as CATA President

Muhammad Nami, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Nigeria and President of the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators (CATA), on Friday held his first face-to-face meeting with the CATA Secretariat at the United Kingdom’s Treasury House. The meeting had in attendance executives of the CATA Secretariat, including Mr Duncan Onduru, the Association’s Executive Director, Mr. Jon Swerdlow, the Vice Chairman, and Ms. Megan Jones.

Muhammad Nami was accompanied to the meeting by Mr. Olufemi Olarinde, Nigeria’s CATA Country Correspondent, Mr. Johannes Wojuola, Special Assistant to the Executive Chairman on Media and Communication, and Mr. Jibrin Salihu, Personal Assistant to the Executive Chairman.

The meeting was also attended by the representatives of the UK Government’s Tax Authority, Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC), including Ms. Fiona Hay, Head of Capacity Building and International Relations, Mr. Mahtab Hashim, Capacity Building Unit, and Ms. Jasmine Taylor, Director of Senior Leadership Programme.

The CATA President and his team were briefed on the governance structure of CATA, current efforts by the association to serve the common interest of member nations, and future opportunities, especially in capacity building and creating networks for CATA members.

Mr. Olufemi Olarinde, Nigeria’s Country Correspondent to CATA; Ms. Antonia Strachey, UK Public Finance and Tax Department, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO); Mr. Muhammad Nami, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Executive Chairman and Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators (CATA) President; Mr. Jon Swerdlow, Capacity Building Unit Transparency Lead of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Custom (HMRC) and CATA Vice Chairman; Mr. Jibrin Salihu, Personal Assistant to the Executive Chairman FIRS; Mr. Johannes Wojuola, Special Assistant, Media and Communication to the Executive Chairman FIRS.

Mr. Nami in his comments stated that his tenure, which spans for the next three years, will seek stronger relationships with developmental partners to achieve the short and long term goals and objectives of the association.

The CATA President also seized the opportunity of the training organized by the Joint Tax Board of Nigeria in the UK and the CATA inaugural meeting to hold a bilateral meeting with Ms. Antonia Strachey of the Public Finance and Tax Department, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on issues of mutual benefit to the revenue authorities of both countries.

You will recall that on Friday, 12th October, 2021, Muhammad Nami, was unanimously elected by the 47 member countries of CATA at the association’s General Meeting as its 15th President.

The Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators is an accredited association of the Commonwealth, established in 1978 in London to promote the improvement of tax administration in all its aspects within the Commonwealth with particular emphasis on the developing countries.