Who is Zacchaeus Adedeji? The New FIRS Chairman

On the 14th of September, President Bola Tinubu through his Media Aide, Ajuri Ngelale announced the appointment of Mr. Zacchaeus Adedeji as the new Acting Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service. 

Adedeji, aged 45, will step into the role currently held by Muhammad Mamman Nami, who is set to retire in December 2023. Before this appointment, Adedeji was serving as the Special Adviser to the President on Internal Revenue. 

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Here is a summary of Zacchaeus Adedeji’s profile 

Zacchaeus Adedeji was born in Oyo State in 1978 and was raised in Ogbomosho town. He obtained a National Diploma in Accounting from the Federal Polytechnic, Ede. Then he achieved a first-class degree in Accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University, located in Ile-Ife. 

He furthered his education at the Obafemi Awolowo University, obtaining an MSc. in Accounting, and then he obtained a PhD in Public Sector Finance from the Obafemi Awolowo University. He is an alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where he completed an Executive Course in Economic Development. Adedeji is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN). 

In 2011, he was appointed by then Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi as the Oyo State Commissioner for Finance, a post he held until 2015. At the time of this appointment, Adedeji was the youngest-ever Commissioner for Finance in Oyo State’s history. Before his foray into public service, Adedeji occupied senior management roles at Procter & Gamble (P&G), culminating in his position as Finance Leader at the company. 

During his tenure as the Commissioner for Finance in Oyo State, he was recognized for guiding a team of fewer than 50 people. They successfully put into action a Medium-Term Financial (MTF) plan, which significantly enhanced the state’s financial and budget management. Adedeji was instrumental in raising the minimum wage from N7,500 to N19,000 and introducing a 13th-month salary for civil servants in the state. Moreover, his work to streamline the state’s finances led to annual budget savings of N7.2 billion. He skillfully handled the state’s finances, avoiding any new debts, and managed to cut the state’s existing debt burden by half.

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After his work as Commissioner for Finance, Adedeji served as the Executive Secretary/CEO of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) in the Buhari administration. 

In addition to his work in public service, Adedeji is one of the founders and the managing partner of RTR, a financial consulting company focused on offering advice and helping develop policies for government officials and private organizations in West Africa.

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