Driving Nigeria's Tax Reforms, Meet Ex-FIRS Chief Ifueko Omoigui Okauru
Ifueko Omoigui Okauru is a Chartered Accountant, chartered tax practitioner, management consultant and former FIRS Chairman. As Chairman of the agency, Ifueko was known for reforming the FIRS and increasing Nigeria's revenues.
She is also the first and only woman (to date) to chair the Nigeria Joint Tax Board (JTB) between 2004 to 2012.
Early Life
Ifueko was born in 1962 in Lagos, Nigeria. She says in an interview with Punch that she was the only girl among two of her male siblings and a tomboy. Her parents never enforced gender roles on her and her brothers while growing up and always encouraged and supported her dreams.
She attended Queen's College Lagos and Federal Government College Warri, Delta state, for her secondary school. She obtained her first degree in Accounting from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and a Master's Degree at the Imperial College, London. She also got a master's degree in public administration from Harvard Kennedy school.
Career
Ifueko began her career in accounting, working as a part-owner and chief executive officer of Compliance Professionals Plc, Nigeria. She is also currently engaged as an associate with the Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Science, undertaking research in leadership, social enterprise, culture and the Nigerian nation.
Between 2004 and 2012, Ifueko Omogui Okauru led a revolutionary campaign in the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). Under her leadership during the period, FIRS witnessed extensive reforms and fundamental transformation.
In a paper titled “Transforming the Public Sector in Nigeria: Lessons from my leadership of the Federal Inland Revenue Service”, delivered at a recent event by the Africa Initiative for Governance (AIG) hosted by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede and the Blavatnik School for Government (BSG) Mrs Okauru reflected on how she provided the building blocks of the reforms in the service and opening Nigeria up for the world.