Olusegun Adeniyi
While Nigerians are debating which version of the new tax code is authentic and which is fake, President Bola Tinubu—whom we are told is currently in ‘Europe’ (no specific country, similar to the way American Presidents visit ‘Africa’)—released a statement on Tuesday reaffirming that implementation will commence this morning, 1st January 2026. “Our administration is aware of the public discourse surrounding alleged changes to some provisions of the recently enacted tax laws,” the president stated, in what we should consider our new year present from the Villa. “No substantial issue has been established that warrants a disruption of the reform process. Absolute trust is built over time through making the right decisions, not through premature, reactive measures.”
In principle, I endorse the new tax administration. I have always argued that with the system creaking beneath us, we cannot begin to fix our country unless we bring to the table the productive capacity of every citizen. So, we need to include more people in the tax net and be more efficient in collection. These, I understand, are what the new laws are all about. But the bit about how ‘absolute trust’ is built in the presidential statement is obviously lost on Tinubu. Otherwise, there would have been no need to play games with the laws passed by the National Assembly which led to the current controversy and necessitated a fresh ‘gazetting’ process. But that is not even the real issue.
While we move from an extract and share economy to one funded by taxpayers, the greater challenge is how we spend the accrued revenues. I am aware that our structural deficit encourages lack of accountability in a system that was founded on ‘sharing the national cake’.
But when we demand responsible citizenship, something has to give. Taking taxes from the people and expending the proceeds on frivolities is no longer tenable. We definitely cannot continue with the kind of debauchery that would make the head of the legislative branch ‘joke’ that he and colleagues will continue to ‘eat’ at public expense. Not with my tax!
The phrase, “no taxation without representation” pre-supposes that there can be no effective (and accountable) government without taxation. But in Nigeria, our people have been conditioned to believe that we are a rich country where government is simply required to dispense the goodies free of charge without demanding anything of citizens. The politicians who sell this lie, of course, know what they are doing. The problem is compounded by the fact that we live in a country where people supply their own electricity, erect their own boreholes for water, and pay for their own security and sundry social services that government is tasked with providing.
However, as tainted as the process through which the tax codes emerged may be, I agree with the position of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA). “We cannot continue to run the system the way it was run with a lot of inconsistencies,” said NECA Director General, Smatt-Oyerinde. “No law is perfect, and that is why we have made provisions for amendments.” But the real problem with this administration is that it has scant regard for transparency and accountability which perhaps also explains why Nigerians still don’t know where their president currently is.
Meanwhile, due to the policy choices being made by the Tinubu administration, Nigerians have had to bear unprecedented hardship occasioned by the astronomical cost of goods and services in recent months. We pay several times more at the pump than at any time in history. Electricity tariffs have gone through the roof. And, as I wagered recently, any middle-class professional who doesn’t know the market prices of basic foodstuffs like garri, rice, tomatoes etc. must belong to the Godswill Akpabio exclusive club of those who are “eating”.
I have a word for the president. Public expectations of leaders who seek sacrifices from the people are enormous. And no president in contemporary history has demanded more from Nigerians than Tinubu with the policies he has initiated. Now, with the implementation of the new tax codes, the real issue is whether such a government can continue to live large at public expense. While the whole essence of government is to subordinate the personal convenience of individuals to the imperatives of the common good, the crisis of present-day Nigeria is that there is little in our code of public conduct that encourages moderation or sacrifice. And nobody exemplifies that more than our current president.
I therefore hope that as Nigerians embrace a new tax regime today, Tinubu’s new year resolution will be to adopt a different leadership template than the one currently on display. I wish him happy new year wherever he may be in ‘Europe’.
My Commiseration, Anthony Joshua
Born and raised in the United Kingdom, former World Heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, does not have to identify with Nigeria. But he does, to the annoyance of a number of British people. It therefore came as no surprise that following last Sunday’s accident that claimed his friends and left him injured on our shores, some bigots are mocking him. But I am confident that even at this most difficult period in his life, Josuha will demonstrate that Nigerian spirit of resilience in the face of adversity he once spoke about.
Seven years ago, Joshua featured in a commercial for Globacom and said this: “There has always been a big piece of my heart as a Nigerian and I do believe that it is that piece that sets me apart. It always says to me, ‘never give up, dream big’! We come from a nation of warriors and that is why I believe in Glo. We have that same tenacity, that Nigerian fighting spirit that makes us game changers! We are relentless. We don’t just face our challenges; we step into the ring to win again and again and again. If you believe in yourself, there is no limit to what you can achieve. Yeah, I used to be a bricklayer in England but now I am heavyweight champion of the world!” And then added: “You need strength? Yeah, that comes from the hard knocks that life throws at us. And we are Nigerians, we know all about that. It’s like when we are up against the rope. You don’t stay down; you’ve got to fight. You have to dig deep to be a world champion”.
Given his history and professional accomplishments, Anthony Joshua is not only British but a global citizen. Yet, he also chooses to embrace his Nigerian ancestry. That takes character. I commiserate with him over the loss of his friends and wish him speedy recovery. And to the rest of us, Happy new year!
