News
Tinubu’s tax reforms and imperative of fiscal federalism
The seemingly unending contentions trailing the federal government’s tax reforms are to be appreciated as a manifestation of Nigerians’ diversity and the multiplicity of conflicting interests.
These may ultimately signpost a necessity of decentralising rather than generalising fiscal and monetary issues, including tax reform and tax collection. The resurging issues on tax incidence, revenue collection and corporate or individual responsibilities in this tax reform issue indicate the wide divisions in the country concerning who pays tax and who benefits among others.
The core issue is that the size of the cake or tax collection has not been large enough, and every stakeholder wants to be on the receiving side and not on the paying side. These have been the emerging issues in the public hearings on the four tax reform bills, namely the Nigeria Tax Bill, the Joint Revenue Tax Board Bill, the Tax Administration Bill and the Nigeria Revenue Service Bill.
Major contentions that have come from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN), among others indicate some of the differing perspectives on the country’s fiscal federalism and thus indicate that over-centralisation of fiscal and revenue matters need to be looked into as the current situation of unproductive contentions constitute a cog in the wheel of progress for the country’s economy cutting across the various tiers of government.
According to statistics from the multilateral organisations as well as from official sources within the country, tax collection in Nigeria is still at a very low level. The ratio of tax to the gross domestic product (GDP) which was approximately 9.4 per cent in 2023 according to the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, James Faleke but has fallen to as low as six per cent presently given the address of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
This is a far cry from the World Bank minimum benchmark of 15 per cent that it considers necessary for sustainable development. In comparison to that of other countries within Africa, the tax-to-GDP ratio is lower than South Africa’s 21.6 per cent, Senegal’s 19.1 per cent and Kenya’s 14.1 per cent. So, there is this obvious challenge of generating more revenue into the public coffers, and the key issue is that the various pressure groups are clamouring for how it can pay less tax while, in the same vein, maximising its benefits from the government.
Emanating from the hearings of the House of Representatives Committee on the Tax Reforms is the fact that only nine per cent of companies registered in Nigeria are captured in the tax net and that only about 35 million Nigerians actually pay tax. The frequent resort to borrowing is accentuated by this sorry state of a humongous shortfall between what is required to service the workings of government in the delivery of public services and the collections from the various types of taxes. That is the dilemma of the government tax reforms, and the Oyedele Presidential Committee indeed had its work clearly cut out for it. However, some of the contentions by some of the stakeholders appear self-serving.
Overall, the clear issue agreed to by everyone is that Nigeria’s tax laws have remained largely unchanged for so long and are thus no longer in tune with current economic realities. However, divergent issues based on religion, such as the imposition of tax on properties inherited by adherents of the religion, may not be accepted by all.
The adoption of technology in facilitating the revenue collection process, which was also questioned based on religious and regional viewpoints, clearly indicates that the quest to enhance national revenue through taxation will continue to suffer setbacks until the decentralization of the tax collection process is pursued vigorously.
The viewpoint by some that many Nigerians lack the necessary skills and technological know-how to comply with digital Value-Added Tax (VAT) returns appears unnecessary and thus suggestive that the provision in the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill that mandates the adoption of advanced technology for tax assessment and collection is not relevant.
This assertion should not be sustained as the deployment of technology currently cuts across the various aspects of human endeavours, and the country’s tax administration should not be left out in this. The position of the NLNG on the avoidance of double taxation in relation to contract agreements, already subjected to VAT and the use of stamp duties to collect revenue appears plausible while the fear by the NCS that the tax reforms could legislate it out of existence appears the adoption of posture by the NCS to resist change. On the other hand, the position of the TUC and the SCSN opposing the increase of VAT from 7.5 per cent to 15 per cent are all issues of concern.
As a country, what should be of major concern is to first accept that the reforms are necessary and second that the decentralization of the tax collection process should be prioritised in the final document. This should also reflect in the tax benefit derivation process such that states would be forced to look inwards in revenue generation, knowing that their economic fortunes would be tied to their revenue collection efforts. This tax reform process should be a necessary first step in revamping the country’s fiscal federalism structure such that competition and not contention for resources would be given the upper hand in the country’s fiscal administration.
Overall, the critical issue is for the government to conduct economic government by enhancing the business climate and not adopting a “tax and spend” economic strategy, which often is counterproductive. The promotion of a conducive business operating environment is more important than generating all the required revenue, which invariably could enhance corruption in the management of public resources as well as create a bogus structure of an enhanced and unproductive high cost of governance. Tax reforms alone cannot give the required boost to the economy. It needs to be complimented by other economic strategies to salvage the economy from its current unstable state.
-Guardian
Entertainment
Davido breaks silence after Grammy Award loss
Five-time Grammy nominee, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has reacted after losing the Best African Music Performance category at the 68th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, United States.
The Afrobeats star shared a message of faith and resilience following the outcome of the ceremony, which took place on Sunday night at the Crypto.com Arena in California.
In a post on his Instagram page, Davido shared photos with his wife, Chioma, from the event and wrote, “Oluwa Dey my side,” alongside prayer and music emojis.
Hours later, he posted another set of pictures of himself and Chioma at the Grammys, reflecting on the loss in a longer caption.
“I said baby listen we lost again let’s not go ! she said ‘Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat’ we outside,” he wrote.
Chioma also reacted via her Instagram page, praising the singer, “You already know that you’re the perfect one, @davido,” she wrote, while sharing photos from the awards night.
Davido was nominated in the Best African Music Performance category at the 2026 Grammy Awards but lost to South African singer Tyla, who won with her song Push 2 Start.
Other nominees in the category included Burna Boy (Love), Ayra Starr and Wizkid (Gimme Dat), Davido (With You featuring Omah Lay), and Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin (Hope & Love).
The win marked Tyla’s second Grammy Award, following her first victory in 2024 for her hit single Water.
Speaking during the awards ceremony, the singer revealed that With You, featuring Omah Lay, almost did not make the final tracklist of his album 5IVE.
“Man, it’s so crazy because that song almost didn’t make the album. With You was not in anybody’s top five.
“And now look at it go. Every time I was performing it, my heart would just start beating like, what if I didn’t put this song?” he told OkayAfrica.
Davido also recounted how he learned about the Grammy nomination, saying the news came unexpectedly while he was in Dubai, days before his birthday.
“I was in the car, actually, checking a car, and then my phone rang. They were like, ‘Oh yeah, another nomination.’ I was like, wow. Thank God,” he said.
“With You” was released in April 2025 as the 17th track on Davido’s fifth studio album, 5IVE, and has since become one of his most successful recent records, surpassing 100 million streams on Spotify.
Despite the song’s success, Nigeria did not record a win at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Davido said he is now focused on touring and releasing new music.
He is also billed to perform at Coachella 2026, where he will be the only Nigerian artiste on the festival lineup, performing on April 11 and April 18, 2026, in Indio, California.
-Guardian
Entertainment
Kunle Afolayan gives reasons to marry many women
Nollywood filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, has stirred reactions after advising men to “marry many women” while reflecting on his upbringing in a polygamous home.
The actor and producer made the remarks at the watch party of Aníkúlápó: The Ghoul Awakens, with a clip from the event going viral on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event, Afolayan linked his existence and achievements to his late father’s decision to marry several wives.
“Without my father, there wouldn’t have been a KAP Village or even Kunle Afolayan. I am the seventh born of my father because my father had ten wives. For the men, marry many women, or rather be involved with many women. You know why? If my father didn’t, he would not have born me, and that is the honest truth. But today, a few of us are lifting his legacy. Life is short, death is constant. Nobody has life forever. Everybody has a period. Use your period,” he said.
While his daughter, Eyiyemi Afolayan, joined him on stage, the filmmaker compared his childhood experience with his relationship with his children.
“They are lucky. For her, staying by my side is luck. Do you know why? I couldn’t stand it with my father. My father didn’t know my school. My father didn’t know my date of birth. He did not know anything about me other than, ‘He is the son of that person.’ But today, I’m so proud of my father,” he added.
Afolayan also spoke about fatherhood.
“Sometimes when people say ‘Happy Father’s Day,’ I’m always saying whether he pays child support or not, he’s still a father. I have been going to court because I want to get a divorce. I don’t mind being in the witness box, and I experienced the shit, so that I can marry many wives,” he said.
He thereafter prayed for his daughter, praising her role in the series.
“Hephzibah, her mother is the one who gave her the name. I don’t care, but I am proud of you. You started with the film, you did the first season, and now with the second season, you did amazingly well. My good Lord will continue to increase you in wisdom, in knowledge, and in understanding. If this is your path, the good Lord will see you through.”
However, this is not the first time the filmmaker has spoken about his late father’s polygamous lifestyle.
In March 2021, Afolayan told BBC Pidgin that his father, Adeyemi Afolayan, who died in 1996, married 10 wives and had 25 children, a decision he said took a toll on the family.
“I would not want to marry many wives because my father had 10 wives and I knew what happened throughout that period. I knew that really distracted my father. In this age, nobody needs to tell you before you know what’s right,” he said at the time.
He also disclosed that growing up in a polygamous home affected bonding among the children due to language and other barriers.
Afolayan further narrated how he battled poverty in his early years, revealing that he once lived in a one-room apartment in Ebute-Metta and sometimes had to deal with flooding.
“I was born in Ebute-Metta and have lived in one-room apartment before that we even have to grapple with flood sometimes. It’s not shame to say have been poor before. But if you see how l made it, it’s a matter of consistency. My father was a very popular filmmaker and ordinarily, people would expect me to life the kind of live akin to Hollywood stars,” he said.
“But that wasn’t the case. How would one live such life when you’re living in a room with ten women. That doesn’t mean there was no love among us.”
He had advised young filmmakers to start with the little resources available to them while working towards their dreams.
-Guardian
Article
Court adjourns Ganduje’s corruption trial to April 15
A Kano State High Court has adjourned until April 15 the trial of former governor Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat Umar, and son, Abdullahi Umar, alongside five other defendants, over alleged misappropriation of public funds amounting to billions of naira.
The defendants are facing an 11-count charge bordering on bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds. The remaining accused persons are Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lasage General Enterprises Ltd.
At the resumed hearing, the prosecution told the court it was ready to proceed and drew attention to a motion dated November 24, 2025, seeking leave to file additional proof of evidence.
However, defence lawyers raised objections, informing the court that multiple applications were pending and must be resolved before the trial could continue.
Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, counsel to some of the defendants, said the defence had filed a motion dated July 17, 2025, seeking a stay of proceedings.
Adekunle Taiye-Falola, representing the third and seventh defendants, also referred to a separate motion dated May 23, 2025.
In addition, Muhammad Shehu, counsel to the fifth defendant, told the court that an affidavit had been filed notifying it of a pending application for stay of proceedings before the Court of Appeal.
Abubakar Ahmad, counsel to the sixth defendant, informed the court that he had filed a notice of preliminary objection and an application for extension of time to respond on points of law dated February 2, urging the court to fix a date for hearing.
Only Faruk Asekome, counsel to the eighth defendant, indicated readiness to proceed with the trial.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the presiding judge, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, adjourned the matter to April 15 for the hearing of all pending applications and preliminary objections.
The trial has suffered repeated delays due to legal challenges. The high court had earlier dismissed preliminary objections raised by the defence as “incompetent” and affirmed its jurisdiction to hear the case.
That ruling was appealed by the defendants, who argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction. However, in October 2025, the Kano Division of the Court of Appeal struck out the appeal, citing failure to properly transmit the record of appeal.
-Guardian
-
Article10 months ago5 Life Lessons from Manchester City EPL Current woes
-
Sports10 months agoLiverpool Announce Jürgen Klopp Return To The Club
-
Business10 months agoMTN Teams Up With Meta To Boost WhatsApp Call Quality
-
News10 months agoCommonwealth Observers Prepare For Gabon Presidential Election
-
Article10 months agoPonzi Scheme CEO Francis Uju Udoms of Addfx Case still Unresolved Despite SEC certification
-
News10 months agoChibok Girls: 11 Years Of Anguish, Broken Promises
-
News8 months agoNASRE Promises Support To Daily Times Group Business Editor, Oseni, Over Serious Road Accident
-
News10 months agoWike’s Enviable Road Construction Method along Nyanya- Maraba Highway
