DR. TITILAYO ENI-ITAN FOWOKAN, FCTI is the Chairman, 23rd Annual Tax Conference of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN). Ahead of arrival of participants, she speaks in this interview with IHEANYI NWACHUKWU, BusinessDay’s Assistant Editor. Excerpts
Why did you choose to hold the 23rd Annual Tax Conference in Kaduna State?
I will say that moving the venue of the 23rd Annual Tax Conference to Kaduna State is the way God wants it to be. We had the 22nd Annual Tax Conference in November 2020 in Lagos State where His Excellency Malam Nasir El-Rufai, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State was the Keynote Speaker. During his speech he proposed to host the 23rd Annual Tax Conference in his State and this was acceptable to the President and Council of the Institute. That was how the journey to Kaduna for the 23rd Annual Tax Conference began.
Has this conference ever been held in Kaduna State before? If yes, when? If not, why?
This is the first time of holding the Annual Tax Conference in Kaduna State. The Annual Tax Conference is a gathering of over 2,000 delegates globally and requires a venue that can accommodate a minimum of 1,200 delegates physically present at the venue. Also, due to COVID-19 pandemic the number of conference attendees for physical participation reduced while we have a high number of professionals and other stakeholders join virtually.
We are also mindful of good hospitality facilities, accessibility and ease of navigation to conference venues for delegates attending the conference physically. These factors determine the choice of venues for the conference to minimize infrastructure and logistics challenges and make the conference attendance a worthwhile experience for delegates. We have visited Kaduna City three times in the last four months to inspect the facilities on ground for the conference and can confirm that the facilities and venues are fit for purpose for the 23rd Annual Tax Conference.
What are your worries and positive surprises since the inception of the conference planning?
Well, every conference comes with its own uniqueness. Typically, our Annual Tax Conferences are planned within a space of 10 to 11 months but the planning for the 23rd Annual Tax Conference started on 7th November 2020 after concluding the 22nd Annual Tax Conference, leaving us with just 6 months window to plan the conference to be held in a State where the conference will be held for the first time. This on its own is a cause for concern but the power of positivity overruled the worries, as we had to commit the planning to the hands of the Almighty God, right from the inception of constituting the conference committee. There were also concerns over security information on the State, which necessitated the visits of the President and Executive Officers of the Institute to the State Government. Subsequent inspection of the environment, venues and facilities in the City of Kaduna was a positive surprise that kept our minds at rest.
Read Also: No record of Indian COVID-19 variant in Edo – Obaseki
You will agree with me that rising insecurity is a major concern, meaning that your committee has one of the major roles this time – ensuring safety of conference participants. No doubt in partnership with Kaduna State government, what are you doing on security?
You are right! In planning the conference, we considered proximity of the conference venue to the hospitality facilities within Kaduna City and the ease of navigation of participants around the conference venue. As earlier mentioned, the President of the Institute, Dame Olajumoke Simplice took the issue of allying the fears of participants over information on rising insecurity as a primary responsibility and joined the committee in visits to the State to confirm security measures put in place by the Kaduna State government in support of the conference. This includes deployment of security personnel to strategic locations in the State and around the conference venue. This also covers logistics arrangement for movement of participants during the duration of the conference.
By your own evaluations, what’s the rate of your committee’s preparedness for this 23rd Annual Tax Conference?
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the rating for fully ready for the conference, my committee’s rating will be 9. Currently, all housekeeping activities required for the conference are at advanced stage, conference materials are ready, resource persons are on standby, with additional resources to be deployed at short notices, arrangement for social events are in top gear and we have created communication channels on social media for all conference participants to interact and share information. In fact, our participants that opted for physical attendance are eager to arrive live in Kaduna.
For this 23rd Annual Tax Conference, you have made provision for physical and virtual participation. What drives this innovation?
We are all aware of the change in our lifestyle from 1st quarter of 2020 caused by the sudden occurrence of COVID-19 pandemic, which is still in the air (with some countries experiencing the third/fourth wave). The pandemic changed the mode of our conference from being solely physical attendance to a mix of both physical and virtual participation. This is because the COVID-19 protocol must be strictly observed with the restriction on the number of people in any social gathering to 50percent of the capacity of the venue. Furthermore, we have foreign resource persons and participants who may not be able to physically attend due to COVID-19 restrictions. The provision of virtual participation also affords delegates the opportunity to connect and enjoy the technology-driven conference proceedings from the comfort of their homes and offices.
Will you say you are leveraging technology more during this conference due to COVID-19?…and How?
Yes. As earlier explained, COVID-19 introduced restrictions of movement at the initial stage, which led to staying at home to stay safe, remote working and exposed us to virtual communication channels (which may have come to stay). The aftermath of this is the heavy reliance on technology for the conduct of our activities, be it business, social or leisure. For the 23rd Annual Tax Conference, we shall be having some of our resource persons and participants connecting virtually. There will also be live streaming of conference events on the social media channels such as YouTube and Facebook. Leveraging technology for the conference will help in observing COVID-19 protocols relating to maintaining social distancing by minimising contacts during the conference.
What quality of speakers are we expecting?
As usual, the standard of technical sessions for the Annual Tax Conference is advancing and this time around we are having a mix of entrepreneurs, tax administrators, tax professionals, tax academia and business experts as resource persons. Our seasoned resource persons are: Mr. Muhammed Nami (Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service), Dr. Olusegun Omisakin (Chief Economist, Nigerian Economic Summit Group), Mrs. Adenike Adeyemi (Executive Director, FATE Foundation), Prof. Abdulmumini Bala Ahmed (SAN), (Chairman, Lagos Tax Appeal Tribunal), Dr. Seyi Olarenwaju (Country Chief Financial Officer, Mixta Africa), Barr. Abiodun Olatunji (SAN), (CEO, World Lilies Group), Mrs. Sandra Momoh (Tax Director, Ernst & Young), Alhaji Kamoru Adeleke Adigun (Past President, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria), Chief Akinyele Oladeji (Managing Consultant, CDSD Consulting Enterprise Solutions), Prof. Godwin Oyedokun (Professor of Management and Accounting, Lead City University Ibadan), Dr. Zaid Abubakar (Executive Chairman, Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service), Prof. Kabiru Dandago (Professor of Accounting, Bayero University), Mrs. Adetola Aibangbe, (Board Member, Federal Inland Revenue Service), Hajiya Halima Ilya Ibrahim (Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning), Mrs. Funke Oladoke (Partner, Deloitte & Touche), Mr. Tom Isibor (ACCA Country Director, Nigeria), Mr. Ayodele Subair (Executive Chairman, Lagos State Internal Revenue Service), Mr. Killian Khanoba (Managing Consultant, Pedabo), Hon. Babangida Ibrahim (Member, House of Rep.), and Prof. Muhammad Akaro Mainoma (mni), (Immediate Past President, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria). We are also having speakers from other climes such as Professor Piergiorgio Valente (President, CFE Tax Advisers Europe and Chairman, GTAP) and Mr. Logan Wort (Executive Secretary, African Tax Administration Forum). Considering that we need to be at our best from a mental health angle, we will be having a medical expert, Dr. George Usman Kato, (Mental Health Education and Nursing Professional) to enlighten us on this during the conference.
Are you expecting other corporate and public sector participants aside members of CITN?
Of course, the Annual Tax Conference is for both members and non-members of CITN. So, we are eagerly waiting to welcome all participants.
How many participants are you expecting each day of the conference?
Physical participants at the Annual Tax Conference prior to COVID-19 pandemic are usually over 1,600 but with the restrictions on the number of participants at any gathering, we will be complying with the maximum number allowed and encourage others to join virtually. On the average, we are expecting between 700 and 800 physical participants and about 500 to 600 delegates will be connecting virtually.
What will be the major fascinations for this year’s Annual Tax Conference?
This year’s conference promises to be another exciting time for all participants. We will be starting the conference with hospitality night during which all our Districts will be making presentations on the conference theme. This will be crowned with a presentation of trophies to the winners.
Unlike previous conferences, quite a few of our facilitators will be connecting virtually for their sessions. We shall be having seasoned tax administrators and professionals to do justice to the topics for discussion during the technical sessions from which we shall be providing our communiqué to the Nigerian government for tax policy direction. Also, we shall be hearing practical tips from the crème de la crème in the business world on entrepreneurship, social engagement, and job creation, in alignment with tax revenue generation for the government.
We will also be having a tax walk and novelty match as part of the keep-fit activities for the conference. Our Gala Nite will be the climax of the conference and a time to relax and unwind from the fully loaded technical sessions. The icing for the gala nite is the award of prices to our undergraduates and winners of the tax quiz competition.
What happens to the social aspect of your conference this year amid COVID-19 pandemic?
We are mindful of COVID-19 protocols, which will be duly observed as we engage in the social activities. As part of our conference package, we have provided COVID-19 protective items for all delegates and compliance with the required protocols at our social events will be enforced. While we unwind during the social events, we have also put in place measures to obey government regulations on COVID-19 protocols. Our virtual participants will equally have access to connect virtually through the social media to participate in the indoor social events.
What will you not like interested participants to miss at this 23rd annual tax conference?
Let me start by saying that those who attended the 22nd Annual Tax Conference in November 2020 saw the richness of the content and creativity displayed during the conference. We are trusting God for an astounding 23rd Annual Tax Conference, live in the city of Kaduna, tagged “KAD2021”. We are expecting the presence of royal fathers and government dignitaries to add colour to the opening ceremony. The richness of the technical sessions and the robust social networking during the conference are not something anyone should be told but are better witnessed. Don’t miss it!
For those who have been looking for someone to ease their burden of lingering tax matters, this is an opportunity to connect with the FIRS Chairman, Mr Muhammed Nami and the FIRS Management team, as well as the State Internal Revenue Service Chairmen and their management team, in a relaxed and connected-thinking mood. I welcome you all to Kaduna City, as we trust God for another successful conference!
