LIRS Chair Emerges Most Outstanding Public Sector CEO of 2024

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Mr. Ayodele Subair, has been named the Peak Performer FEST 2024 Most Outstanding Performance as a Public Sector Chief Executive of the year.

A statement from the organisation said Subair received the award at the Peak Performer (TPP) Fest held at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

The event, which brought together key stakeholders in the public and private sectors to celebrate excellence and innovation, the statement said,  highlighted Subair’s unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation within the public sector.

His leadership, it stressed, has been pivotal in driving transformative policies and improving service delivery within the agency.

A standout moment of the festival was the LIRS emerging as a major highlight of the event, winning four awards for its exemplary performance in revenue collection and taxpayer engagement strategies.

The agency said it has continually demonstrated innovation in enhancing its operations, thereby contributing significantly to the state’s economic development.

The LIRS was recognised as the ‘most outstanding revenue collection agency of the year’, most outstanding performance as women-friendly revenue collection, as well as most outstanding performance in public engagement among others.

Accompanied by the LIRS directors, Subair, who received the five awards on behalf of the agency, dedicated them to the state governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the tax-paying people of Lagos.

 He said that the awards would encourage the LIRS to perform much better as it’s always a good feeling when one gets  recognition for all the hard work and efforts put into one’s work.

Calling on the people to support the state more by paying their taxes when due, the LIRS boss noted: “Because a lot of people don’t even connect the dot, people feel that when they go to the US or UK, they are very happy with what they see, good roads, light, security and so much support from the government but somebody has got to pay for it and the only way we can achieve such greatness is when all of us pay our parts.

“We have a lot of ideas and innovations that we apply because nobody wants to pay tax in any part of the world. Nigeria is not different from the other parts of the world. So, we spend a lot of time in advocacy because we realise that a lot of our citizens don’t avail themselves with all the various laws and procedures.”

He noted that payment of taxes was part of a social contract between the government and citizens as it helps the government to provide efficient infrastructure and qualitative social services.

“We have to show the people where the money goes to encourage them to pay their taxes as and when due. So, we have a lot of the projects that are going on. So, nobody who lives in Lagos would deny the fact that there are a lot of groundbreaking projects going on in Lagos, so many of them – the Blue Line, the Red Line, all the good roads, security,” he explained.

The Convener of The Peak Performer Festival, TPP Fest, Dr. Abiola Salami, said the award was instituted to appreciate individuals and organisations doing great things in Nigeria.

He noted that despite the challenges facing the country, “A number of things are going right in Nigeria, and on our continent.”