FIRS holds memorial service in honour of 4 departed employees

.Creates trust fund, scholarship, automatic employment for children

 COMFORT EKELEME, Business Editor

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Thursday in Lagos held a memorial service to honour four staff members who died in the Afriland Towers fire incident on September 16, 2025.

The service featured eulogies, personal anecdotes, and reflections on the colleagues’ professional legacy and personal qualities.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of FIRS, Zacch Adedeji announced the creation of a trust fund specifically for the children of the departed colleagues.

He also promised automatic employment for any of the children who wish to work with FIRS after graduation.

Also, an all-encompassing scholarship programme to cover not only tuition but also other expenses, ensuring the children complete their first and second degrees, adding that some students pursuing master’s degrees in the United Kingdom will also have their fees covered.

The FIRS chairman, however, emphasized the organization’s commitment to supporting the families during this difficult time, stating, “We will stand with you and continue to walk with you.”

He also highlighted the legacy of duty, sacrifice, and commitment to building a better Nigeria left by the deceased colleagues

The chairman, who noted that some of the children of the departed colleagues are in JSS1, JSS2 and some post-secondary, promised that they have become the responsibility of the service.

He said,  “The scholarship we are giving is not going to be scholarship alone.  It is all-encompassing.  Even when I leave,  this will be binding. That is why I call it a trust fund. It will be totally out of service and the family will have a representative.

“I hope you will join us if you prefer to work with us or if you prefer to work in another country.

“In FIRS , we do not see ourselves as an institution; we are family. And in every family, when one is lost, we all feel the emptiness. This tragedy has shaken all of us, but it also reminds us of the truth, that binds us together. We walk not for ourselves but for millions of Nigerians whose lives are touched by our service.

“Our matriarchal colleagues lived a life of service. They gave up themselves in honesty, faithfulness,  never seeking glory, but always working so that other would benefit. Their labour was not in vain. Their time with us was not wasted,” he said.

Speaking further,  the FIRS boss maintained that the deceased colleagues lived a legacy of duty, of sacrifice and of commitment to building a better Nigeria.

To their families, he said,  “I want to say this, we will stand with you and we will continue to walk with you. Please be confident in knowing that you are not alone.

“We trust that our Almighty God, who sees and knows all things, will keep and rest their souls in a perfect peace.

“And we pray that he will grant strength and comfort to all of us that they left behind. As we remember them today, let us also commit ourselves to the value of education, integrity and sanity. Let us live and work in a way that ensures their memory continues to inspire us.

“We will together carry a legacy forward and may nothing ever diminish the spirit of unity and commitment that define our hope for this nation.

“And as the policy of the service, I have read the profile and details of our departed colleagues, the dead, burned, raped, beaten and murdered.

“We will have time to get all these documents. Even when I leave, I hope to have what is mine. We will be totally out of the service”.

The departed colleagues are: Mrs. Ekelikhostse George, Assistant Director; Mr. David Sunday-Jatto, Assistant Director; Mrs. Nkem Onyemelukwe, Senior Manager and Mr. Peter Ifaranmaye, Manager.