The Chattered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) has pledged to work with Anambra state government to boost the state’s monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) through tax payments.

Currently, the state government generates approximately N3 billion per month in tax revenue, but has expressed a desire to collaborate with CITN to increase monthly generation to at least N4 billion per month through the formalisation of the Informal section.

 Samuel Agbeluyi, President of CITN, spoke at a one-day joint taxpayer education and enlightenment programme organised by Anambra State Internal Revenue in Awka on Tuesday. Service, AIRS, in collaboration with CITN, stated that efforts would be intensified to increase state revenue generation by bringing the informal sector into the tax net.

Agbeluyi, who was represented by CITN Vice President Innocent Ohagwa, explained that the partnership would also help the informal sector, which included motorists, petty traders, freelancers, schools, and others, advance in their chosen careers by providing them with government incentives, loans, free business and professional consultancy services, among other things.

He contended that, with the theme “formalising the informal sector: the economic benefits,” most informal sectors were facing survival challenges due to their location outside the revenue window and bucket.

Agbeluyi described taxation as a statutory obligation imposed on all citizens in order for the government to provide basic amenities to the citizenry, adding that “if you want to reap the benefits of the State government, there is a need for tax compliance because tax will assist the State government to serve the citizenry better.” To accomplish this, the informal sectors must be brought into the tax net because they employ the vast majority of Anambra State’s population due to the State’s numerous markets, transportation, and other facilities. We encourage everyone to formalise their businesses because it has numerous benefits.”

Also speaking, Dr Greg Ezeilo, Chairman and CEO of AiRS, stated that the program’s objectives were to provide meaningful knowledge of taxation and other related matters for the benefit of all citizens.

The Executive Director of Assessment AiRS, Mr. Ben Okafor, stated that the programme aims to improve tax collection by identifying areas for improvement and designing outreach programmes to inform stakeholders in the informal sector about the government’s tax collection efforts.

Nze Akachukwu Nwankpo, the lead paper presenter, urged the Anambra State government to develop a good mechanism that will allow them to reach out to all those in the informal sector and obtain the necessary data for tax collection.

Nwankpo, a former governorship candidate in Anambra state, went on to list the benefits of informal sectors joining the tax net, including increased access to finance, links to value chains, government relief measures, improved performance, lower poverty and inequality, and social and political stability.

Earlier, Anambra State Governor Professor Chukwuma Soludo, represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Ernest Ezeajughi, described the program’s theme as interesting, noting that its sustenance would help to increase the State’s revenue generation from taxation to about N4 billion per month.

The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN) praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s unwavering support for Air Peace and other local airlines.

The group also urged Nigerians to support indigenous airlines in order to strengthen the naira.

Comr. Blessing Akinlosotu, the executive director of NCSCN, told journalists in Abuja on Monday that the federal government should consider honouring Air Peace with a National Honours award.

He emphasised Air Peace’s long history of sincere and logical contributions to the nation, particularly the recent reduction in airfare on the Lagos-London route, which has garnered support from all Nigerians and redirected them towards indigenous patronage in air transportation.

“The federal government and all well-meaning Nigerians must rise to save our most patriotic and progressive indigenous operator, Air Peace, and other indigenous airlines, from international aero-politics and pricing warfare by foreign carriers.”

Akinlosotu emphasised the rising profile and business strategies of Nigerian operators with impressive global flight operation records between Nigeria and other countries such as China, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Brazil, South Africa, and India.

“Air Peace has exposed foreign operators, just as GLO Nigeria challenged foreign telecom providers who nearly killed Nigerians in the telecommunications industry.”

Speaking further, Comr. Blessing stated, “The council remains undeterred and will continue to fight for good governance, equity, justice, and excellent service delivery to all Nigerians.”

“It is an acknowledged fact globally that Nigerians are among the most travelled demographics in the world. With a massive population of over 70 million people travelling in and out of the country each year, accounting for more than 70% of Africa’s total travel statistics, Nigeria’s aviation industry is critical to national development.

“Air travel must be elevated to the forefront of national discourse and no longer treated as an exclusive concern of the elite or a luxury reserved for the rich. This is a crucial sub-sector of our national economy with significant implications across economic, political, and socio-cultural aspects of our national life,” Blessing said.

Barrister Chukwudi Ezeobika, a former National Legal Adviser of the Inter Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC), has accused President Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of deceiving “Nigerians amidst the glaring economic recession and crisis.”

Barr. Ezeobika claimed that reports of Naira gains against other currencies, particularly the US dollar, were “erroneous.”

In a statement released on Sunday, he stated that the “effects of such gains on goods and services are yet to be felt by the average Nigerian.”

According to him, “The reason for this indescribable phenomenon, as we have seen in every sector of the Nigerian economy, is not far-fetched. The Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led APC government’s deliberate decision to continue deceiving Nigerians in the midst of a clear economic recession and crisis.

“It is erroneous to believe that the Nigerian currency will ever make any gains against the US dollar or that its economy will be relevant on a global scale if the country is unable to produce the basic goods and services required, as well as to build and develop its dilapidated and/or non-existent infrastructure in critical sectors of the economy such as health, power, transportation, and agriculture.

“All known indicators of economic recession are currently present in the Nigerian economy, as evidenced by the high and unprecedented costs of goods and services, as well as the current administration’s continued manipulation of the country’s currency against the will of the Nigerian people.

The Federal and State agencies tasked with regulating the prices of goods, particularly food items that are essential to the average Nigerian, have either become obsolete or
non-existent, resulting in the absurdities found in the prices of food commodities like rice, yam, and beans in most Nigerian markets.

The former 2018 Senatorial Candidate for Anambra South Senatorial District stated that “the current administration has wilfully and consciously chosen to continue the path of its predecessors by propagating ill-conceived social and economic policies and engaging in projects that are purely unrelated and at odds with the well-being of its citizens.”

The Nigerian Legislature should, as a matter of urgency, rediscover its essence in enacting relevant laws that have a direct impact on the lives of ordinary citizens, reposition itself in its oversight functions, and justify the massive budgets passed annually to maintain the legislative arm of the Nigerian government.”