Youths from Northern Nigeria, under the umbrella of the Northern Youths Movement (NYM), have urged the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji, to disregard comments and allegations made by House of Representatives member Ikenga Ugochinyere.
They described the lawmaker as “a political hushpuppi looking for another victim.”
According to the NYM, Ugochinyere’s actions are driven by desperation. “Since Ugochinyere’s political pot of soup in Rivers State got broken and discarded with, he has been silent and out of his business of extortion. Now, he is seeking to enter the FIRS Chairman and start extorting money from him,” the group alleged.
Ugochinyere had earlier claimed that a coalition of civil society organisations led by him was collecting signatures for a vote of no confidence in the FIRS boss over alleged constitutional and economic breaches. He also announced that a petition demanding Dr. Adedeji’s removal would be made public on December 15, 2025.
But in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by its Chairman, Mallam Ishaya Jato, the NYM dismissed the claim outright, insisting no such coalition exists. “There is no coalition of civil society groups, except one with Ikenga Ugochinyere as sole member,” the group said.
The NYM accused the lawmaker of consistently deploying fabricated titles and non-existent platforms to further his alleged “hustling tactics.”
“As a hustler, what Ugochinyere does is to fabricate political titles and non-existing platforms to carry out his scams,” Jato stated.
The group added that Ugochinyere has a history of self-constructed political identities. “Before now, he was parading himself as the spokesperson of Opposition Lawmakers Coalition in the 10th National Assembly, a position that does not officially exist,” the statement noted.
It further alleged that the lawmaker’s newest “coalition” is another ploy aimed at drawing the attention of the FIRS Chairman:
“Today, he is leading a non-existing coalition of civil society groups, with the main target of getting the attention of the FIRS Chairman so as to extort money from him. Dr. Zacch Adedeji should therefore ignore him.”
The NYM backed the FIRS Chairman, praising his leadership and revenue performance.
“For us in the NYM, the FIRS Chairman has done tremendously well and he should continue his strides, which can be seen in the increment of non-oil revenue,” the statement said.
The group concluded by warning Ugochinyere to desist from targeting FIRS. “Therefore, Ugochinyere should look elsewhere to practice his scamming business,” it stated.
