My dear Shade Omoniyi,

Today, I warmly congratulate you, the management and the entire KW-IRS family on the commissioning of the new Revenue House.

For me, this is more than the commissioning of a magnificent building. It is deeply personal. It is a moment of reflection on a journey that began with a statement of ambition and has now evolved into a statement of institutional maturity.

Ten years ago, on February 8, 2016, we commissioned the first Revenue House. Today, seeing the Service occupy an even more befitting edifice is a powerful reminder that institutions, when deliberately built, can outlive the individuals who start them.

Our vision for KW-IRS was never merely about collecting more revenue. Through the Taxpreneurship philosophy and the People, Process and Technology (PPT) approach, we sought to build a modern revenue institution founded on professional capacity, sound systems, technology, stakeholder engagement and a culture of continuous improvement.

The investments we made in staff development, quality management, business continuity, tax education, tax clubs and secondary-school tax competitions were all part of a larger ambition; to build an institution that would remain relevant, resilient and capable of reinventing itself beyond any single administration.

That is why I am particularly delighted to see this new Revenue House. It represents another chapter in the continuing evolution of KW-IRS.

I commend you and the entire management and staff for sustaining the Service' s trajectory. A modern revenue service must be more than a collection agency; it must be an institution of public value; trusted by taxpayers, respected by its people and dependable to government.

As Kwara enters another decade, I believe KW-IRS has an even greater role to play in expanding the State' s fiscal space, strengthening fiscal sustainability and supporting economic transformation.

May this new Revenue House become a house of excellence, innovation, integrity and service, and may it stand for many years as a testament to what purposeful institution-building can achieve.

Congratulations, my dear Shade, and congratulations to the entire KW-IRS family.

The journey continues.

Prof. Muritala Awodun, PhD, FCTI, FNIM
Professor of Business & Entrepreneurship