

News
FIRS: Tax, The Untaxed and the Taxables
By Salisu Na’inna Dambatta
It is common truth that no country on earth, including Nigeria, is able to tax all the taxables, or even bring all the untaxed into the tax net. Tax registers everywhere rarely contain all the untaxed as required by the tax laws.
Even though the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) which last tax year (2022) celebrated a record N10.1 trillion tax collection for the federation, the country wants it to generate more than that amount of money in 2023.
It is a positively achievable ambition by the top tax man, Muhammadu Nami, who turbo-charged the tax gathering machinery to haul that N10.1 trillion despite low oil revenue and targeted tax waivers and holidays granted to encourage higher economic activities in some sectors. In 2022, over ₦1.8 trillion was granted in tax waivers and incentives. If this had been collected by the FIRS in tax revenue, the agency would have raked in almost N12 trillion in 2022.
As at the half of 2023, the FIRS had raked in over N5.5 trillion. Two interesting facts make this tax revenue collection remarkable. One, it is the highest tax revenue collection made in the first six months of any fiscal year. And in June of 2023 alone, N1.6 trillion was raked in—the highest tax revenue collection made in a single month in Nigeria’s history.
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While ₦10.1 trillion is phenomenal by any standards, a doubling of this can be achieved by the FIRS and State Revenue Services if they can successfully tax the untaxed and bring in the taxables. A consultant’s report submitted to the former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun identified and listed about a thousand taxable activities that could yield huge revenue for Nigeria that were yet untaxed.
For instance, the countless iron mongers in cities, towns and villages all over the country, who forge beautiful doors, windows, security and ornamental railings, are definitely untaxed. The National Bureau of Statistics reported that in the third and fourth quarters of 2021 iron, steel and metals worth N837 billion were imported to Nigeria. Road-side informal iron-mongers who turn a significant portion of those products into useful items do not pay tax on their production activities.
The furniture industry in Nigeria has been transformed beyond imagination. So also the entertainment sector. Both are probably untaxed, or minimally taxed. The two sub-sectors can be taxed appropriately to boost Federal government revenue.
Hewers of wood, lumberers and drawers of water are depleting our forests, turning Savannah to sahelian bushes, rain forests into derived Savannah, just to produce charcoal for energy and timber for construction and furniture, without being taxed. Taxing them heavily enough can discourage the destruction of the country’s flora, and consequently, fauna, and the whole environment.
Another way in which huge tax revenue is lost is through dodging withholding tax by landlords who own rental properties such as residential, business premises and even undeveloped plots let out to mechanics and other artisans.
Huge number of warehouses let out at profitable rates are mostly untaxed, especially those which are located in the outskirts of major cities: Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Kano, Ibadan, Warri, Onitsha and even Owerri, among others.
The “unrecorded and unmonitored” economy, reportedly constituted a huge 57.7 per cent of the country’s total economy in 2022. It thrives and enriches its operators, but deprives the national treasury of a fraction of its treasures through the payment of taxes or fees and levies.
“The size of Nigeria’s informal (shadow) economy is estimated to be 57.7% which represents approximately $1,164 billion (over a trillion USD) at GDP PPP,” a report based on Quarterly Informal Economy Survey (QIES) by World Economics, London, indicates.
The $1,164 billion shadow economy in 2022 alone, is just a shadow below nine times the cost of the Kano-Maradi and Kano-Dutse Gadawur dual track railway lines under construction. Nigeria borrowed $1.9 billion to finance the project. Collecting just ten per cent of $1,164 billion would have almost covered the price of the project.
That lost tax revenue derivable from the shadow economy could have been utilised in massive rural electrification projects to power micro and small businesses that contribute to economic growth in rural areas.
It is perhaps in its bid to tax the untaxed that the FIRS recently entered a partnership with the Market Traders Association of Nigeria (MATAN), where the FIRS would educate members of MATAN on tax payments and cooperate with them to charge and remit Value Added Tax (VAT) in the course of their businesses. This masterstroke partnership may hold the key to untapping the volume of taxes hitherto uncollected from country’s trillion-dollar worth informal sector.
More of these kinds of partnerships need to be seen between tax authorities and organized unions in the business place if the FIRS and its colleagues in the State Internal Revenue Services must tax the untaxed taxables.
Salisu Na’inna Dambatta is a retired federal Director of Information.
News
Davido Announces 5IVE Alive Tour in Five Cities in Nigeria

Nigerian Afrobeats star Davido has revealed the Nigerian dates for his 5IVE Alive Tour, linked to his fifth studio album released in April 2025, following a successful North American run.
The tour kicks off on October 26 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, and includes stops in Yola, Enugu, Ibadan, culminating on December 25 in Lagos.
Tickets are now available starting at ₦5,000 for most venues, with fans urged to purchase quickly amid high demand.

News
Lagos Re-Arraigns Evans For Alleged Murder Of Two Policemen

The Lagos State Government has re-arraigned convicted billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans, on a fresh murder charge involving the deaths of two police officers.
Evans and his co-defendant, Joseph Emeka, were re-arraigned before Justice Oyindamola Ogala on a five-count charge bordering on murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
The case was transferred from Justice Adenike Coker, and according to the charge, Evans and his co-defendant allegedly killed two policemen, Peter Nweke and Chijioke Ngozi, on August 27, 2013, around 10 p.m. at Festac Town, Lagos.
The offences violate Section 221 of the Lagos Criminal Law, 2011.
At the proceedings, State Prosecutor A. O. Azeez confirmed the transfer of the case and requested a fresh arraignment despite Evans’ earlier plea bargain applications before the former judge.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the five-count amended charge.
The court adjourned the matter to November 19, 2025, for hearing and issuance of witness summons.
Evans has already been convicted before another court and is currently serving sentences for two of his five criminal cases.
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News
‘Taking Nigeria’s Situation to God’ Peter Obi’s Message After Visit to Rome

After his visit to Rome, Peter Obi the former presidential Candidate of the Labour party in 2023 general election write what he did while in Rome.
Read below 👇
My Visit to the USA, Rome: Taking Nigeria’s Situation to God.
After my 2-day trip to the United States – where I addressed the Friendship Club on Saturday, 4 October, and spoke at the 1st Ubuntu African Youth Assembly in Washington on Sunday, 5 October – I departed that same night for Rome, arriving on 6th October to join my dearest wife, who was already in Rome waiting for me.
This year marks a Jubilee Year, an event celebrated every twenty-five years, and my dearest wife and I chose to dedicate our prayers to Nigeria. With hearts full of gratitude, we thanked God that, despite our differences and the many challenges faced over sixty-five years of independence, He has kept us together as one nation – a rare and profound blessing for which we remain deeply thankful.
We also sought forgiveness for our national transgressions and implored God to intervene in the suffering of the Nigerian people. We prayed for the injection into our political landscape selfless and compassionate leaders whose hearts He God would touch—leaders who would be truthful in word and deed, altruistic in service, and committed to using public resources for the common good. Leaders whose decisions would reflect competence, capacity, character, and commitment to the welfare of all. Leaders who understand that they were not created to live in isolation but in community with others, and must ensure that actions are for the benefit of the community.
On Tuesday, the 7th of October, as part of our pilgrimage, we passed through three Holy Doors of the four major Papal Basilicas in Rome, praying at each that God would open the door of His mercy to Nigeria. At St. Mary Major, we prayed, passed through the Holy Door, and reflected at the grave of the late Pope Francis. From there, we journeyed to the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, where Cardinal James Harvey warmly received us, led us through the Holy Door, and shared the basilica’s rich history and the deep significance of the Jubilee Year. Our third stop was the Papal Basilica of St. John Lateran, dedicated to Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, where, together with other pilgrims, we passed through the Holy Door and joined in prayer. We then proceeded to the Scala Sancta – the Holy Steps which Jesus ascended before Pontius Pilate – where we prayed with profound reverence, completing a day of deep spiritual reflection at some of Rome’s most sacred sites.
On Wednesday the 8th of October, we rose early for the Papal General Audience at St. Peter’s Basilica, where we were blessed to hear the Catechesis of His Holiness on hope, perseverance, and steadfast faith in times of hardship. Afterwards, we passed through the final Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica, praying and reflecting deeply on God’s mercy, thus completing our pilgrimage through the four doors with hearts filled with gratitude and renewed faith.
At St. Peter’s, we were privileged to be received in audience by His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex, to whom we humbly appealed for prayers for our beloved country, Nigeria.
Along the way, we met several Nigerian pilgrims: men and women of faith whose faces shone with quiet hope. Together, we renewed our trust in God’s divine mercy and in the promise of a renewed and better Nigeria.
I believe fervently in the power and providence of God. Yet, as we lift our nation before Him in prayer, we must not surrender to fatalism. Faith does not absolve us of responsibility; rather, it calls us to action. As Nigerians, we must each continue to do our part – with honesty, diligence, and love – for the healing and progress of our country.
A new Nigeria is POssible. -PO
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Lagos State
VIDEO: Lagos Govt demolishes Ola of Lagos showroom

The Lagos state government has demolished the car showroom owned by popular auto dealer and influencer, Olaoluwa Osunkoya, widely known as Ola of Lagos.
The demolition took place in Lekki after authorities found that the structure was built directly beneath 33kV high-tension power lines, a violation of safety regulations.
News
Maryam Sanda, Convicted Of Killing Husband, Receives Tinubu’s Presidential Pardon

President Bola Tinubu has pardoned Maryam Sanda, who was convicted of killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, in Abuja.
Bello was the son of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Haliru Bello.
Sanda was sentenced to death by hanging by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in January 2020.
She would receive the pardon after spending six years and eight months at the Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre..
This was revealed in a statement released on Saturday by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said, “Her family pleaded for her release, arguing that it was in the best interest of her two children.”
”The plea was also anchored on her good conduct in jail, her remorse, and her embracement of a new lifestyle, demonstrating her commitment to being a model prisoner,” the statement read.
READ ALSO: Details of The Presidential Pardon and Clemency
According to Onanuga, the gesture was made on the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi (SAN).
It also stated that the convicts were considered for clemency based on factors such as remorse, good conduct, old age, and rehabilitation through education or vocational training. Some inmates were recognised for their enrolment in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), while others had demonstrated notable behavioural reform.
Others who recived presidnetial pardons include, llegal miners, white-collar convicts, remorseful drug offenders, foreigners, Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, capital offenders such as Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the other Ogoni Eight were among the 175 convicts and former convicts.
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