By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The management of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), has refuted social media reports making the rounds that a staff of the Service has tested positive to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement made available in by the Director of Communication, Abdullahi Ahmad, in Abuja on Saturday, the Service described the report as fake.
The statement reads: “The attention of the Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Muhammad Nami and the Management of the Service has been drawn to the fake news making the rounds on Social Media that a member of staff at the FIRS has tested positive to COVID-19.”The Service hereby states unequivocally that no member of staff at the FIRS has tested positive to COVID-19 as being peddled on Social Media.
“The Service can confirm that a member of staff who went to pick his wife from the airport following her return from a trip abroad is currently and voluntarily observing the Federal Government advisory of self-isolation alongside his spouse at the couple’s home since Monday.
“Both husband and wife have not visited any FIRS offices or events since the wife retuned to Nigeria last Sunday. More importantly, both husband and wife have only been in self-isolation for five days and have NOT tested positive to Covid-19. “Before now, all FIRS offices have taken necessary precautions to protect both Staff and our esteemed taxpayers from Covid-19 through such safety measures as social distancing, temperature testing, disabling of the biometric sign in, and provision of hand sanitizers for staff and visitors to our offices nationwide as advised by the Federal Ministry of Health.
“Members of the public are therefore advised to discountenance the claim that an FIRS official has tested positive to Covid-19. For emphasis sake, it is a FAKE NEWS. Fake news kills. Do not spread fake news”.
