The Concerned Northern Elders Forum (CNEF) has disowned and strongly criticised recent statements attributed to the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) on the activities of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), describing the position as a distortion of the genuine aspirations of the North.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by Dr Nasir Manguno, the group said it was compelled to speak out in the interest of truth, responsibility and historical accountability, warning that silence in the face of what it described as deliberate misrepresentation would amount to complicity.
The elders said the purported stance of the NEF against the FIRS, its Executive Chairman and the economic reform agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu neither reflects the collective conscience of Northern elders nor aligns with the progressive expectations of the region.
According to the group, the NEF has lost its moral authority and gradually shifted from a platform of wisdom to what it described as a vehicle for political grievances and sponsored opposition narratives. It stressed that elder statesmanship must be anchored on integrity, foresight and national interest, rather than nostalgia for failed systems or entitlement to privilege.
The statement commended the performance of the current Executive Chairman of the FIRS, noting that the agency has consistently exceeded revenue targets, strengthened non-oil revenue mobilisation and deployed technology- and data-driven strategies to plug long-standing revenue leakages. It added that the renewed focus on fairness and accountability has ensured that influence no longer confers immunity from taxation.
The Concerned Northern Elders said these achievements are verifiable and demonstrate what Nigeria can achieve when competence replaces complacency, arguing that resistance to such reforms is largely driven by interests unsettled by efficiency and transparency.
On the broader economic reforms of the Tinubu administration, the group said the President inherited an economy weakened by subsidy dependency, opacity and selective compliance, but commended him for choosing “courage over convenience” by implementing reforms it described as difficult but necessary for national recovery.
The elders emphasised that revenue reform is not punitive but fundamental to nation-building, insisting that no country develops by shielding elites from responsibility or placing the burden of governance solely on the poor.
They also expressed full support for the Memorandum of Understanding entered into by the FIRS leadership to strengthen inter-agency collaboration, harmonise data systems and eliminate duplication, noting that policies promoting transparency, institutional strength and revenue efficiency are in the best interest of both the North and the country.
Addressing what it termed the “politics of sabotage,” the group said renewed attacks on the FIRS coincided with political realignments by opposition interests seeking to weaponise the North against reform, warning that the region would not allow itself to be used for partisan agendas.
The statement added that the real priorities of the North include job creation, infrastructure development, education and accountability, rather than recycled rhetoric and inherited excuses, noting that these goals require strong institutions, fair taxation and decisive leadership.
The group concluded by reaffirming its support for the Executive Chairman of the FIRS, President Tinubu’s economic reform agenda and public officials committed to national interest over elite comfort.
“The North is not against reform. The North is against failure, and it will not be dragged backward by voices sponsored to fear progress,” the statement said.
