President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to consistently pay taxes, saying it is the foundation for achieving national development and funding public services.
Speaking on Friday at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, he said citizens often demand better infrastructure such as hospitals and roads but are unwilling to provide the tax contributions needed to deliver them.
“Nobody wants to pay taxes. Taxation is not friendly to the wealthy, middle class, and to the poor,” he said, noting that people expect development without considering how it will be financed. He questioned how government can provide healthcare, support vulnerable citizens, or invest in research and development without adequate tax revenue.
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He added, “Tax is a priority. A citizen who pays tax is a citizen, whether corporate or individual. If you are not a taxpayer and not exempted, then you are not a citizen,” stressing that tax payment is a civic responsibility.
Tinubu also defended his administration’s economic reforms, describing them as difficult but necessary to stabilize the economy. He said Nigeria could not continue unsustainable subsidy spending and practices that encourage inefficiency and smuggling.
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“It was very necessary to reset, recalibrate and reform the economy. It is a fake life to think you can, in a global economy, continue the subsidy that is wasteful, it is an encouragement for falsification of papers and smuggling,” he said.
He noted that many states were struggling financially, with “27 of them” unable to pay workers’ salaries, questioning the sustainability of such a system.
Describing the reforms as painful but necessary, he said, “It is difficult, it is painful… but… will have a very big smile when you see the live child.”
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