Federal Government Mulls Sanctions on Agencies for Refusing Data Sharing

 

The federal government is considering implementing sanctions on government agencies that refuse to share data with their counterparts upon request, signaling a push for enhanced transparency and efficiency in managing data across government bodies.

This was revealed by Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform Committee, during the inaugural Revenue Assurance Summit held in Abuja on Tuesday, October 15. The summit, which brought together representatives from Internal Revenue Services across all Nigerian states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), addressed various challenges to revenue collection.

Oyedele’s statement followed concerns raised by the Executive Secretary of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), Olusegun Phillip Adesokan, who pointed to a significant hurdle in revenue generation. According to Adesokan, a government agency refused to share crucial data with the JTB, instead demanding payment for access. This refusal, he said, hampered efforts to enhance revenue collection and enforcement.

In response, Oyedele stressed the importance of data sharing for improving the nation's revenue. "Revenue assurance is not the end goal but a means to achieve a greater purpose—enhancing the lives and livelihoods of the people," he said, emphasizing that revenue generation should ultimately have a meaningful impact on the population.

He also called for better cooperation between various levels of government to ensure that economic policies are aligned. “We cannot have federal and state bodies, or even different federal agencies, pulling in separate directions,” he noted, advocating for a unified approach to economic growth.

Oyedele expressed disbelief over the situation highlighted by Adesokan, questioning why a government agency would demand payment for sharing data within the public sector, especially amid ongoing revenue challenges. "I couldn’t believe that in Nigeria, a government agency would ask the JTB to pay for data. The government has data, yet it’s selling it while we struggle with revenue shortages,” he remarked.

To address the issue, Oyedele announced that the government is developing a legal framework to criminalize data hoarding by public agencies. “We are putting protocols in place to ensure data integrity and protection, with consequences for agencies that fail to comply. If you don’t release the data within 48 hours, there will be penalties,” he warned.

This move is expected to foster greater collaboration among government bodies, improve data access, and ultimately enhance revenue generation for the country.