The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has announced plans to hold a two-day national conference on Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) in a renewed effort to combat tax evasion and strengthen Nigeria’s domestic resource mobilisation. The event, scheduled for July 22–23 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, will gather key players from government, law enforcement, financial institutions, and the international community to develop practical strategies against IFFs undermining the country’s economy.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS Chairman, Dare Adekanmbi, revealed that the conference is themed “Combating Illicit Financial Flows: Strengthening Nigeria’s Domestic Resource Mobilisation.” The event will be chaired by the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, while renowned Ugandan lawyer and member of the UN High-Level Panel on IFFs, Irene Ovonji-Odida, is set to deliver the keynote address.
FIRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji said the conference aims to highlight the agency’s intensified efforts to address IFFs, including enhanced compliance systems, improved transparency in beneficial ownership, and the deployment of advanced technology to track tax evasion and trade mispricing. “We have already set in motion machinery to tackle IFFs by approving capacity-building programmes for our staff on how to identify and block illicit flows, especially from multinational corporations,” he stated.
Adedeji also announced the establishment of the Proceeds of Crime Management and Illicit Financial Flows Coordinating Directorate within FIRS, describing it as a key institutional reform to strengthen the agency’s response. He referenced the broader federal initiative involving an inter-agency committee tasked with addressing IFFs, which includes the EFCC, ICPC, CBN, NFIU, Customs, SEC, and others working together toward a unified national strategy.
Ahead of the event, keynote speaker Ovonji-Odida expressed optimism that the conference would foster deeper awareness of IFF dynamics and galvanise stronger national commitment to eliminating them. The FIRS noted that the conference’s outcome is expected to boost efforts to protect Nigeria’s financial integrity, improve revenue generation, and support sustainable national development.
