Only 10–19% of Nigerians pay tax — FIRS

From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja

Faced with a staggering tax compliance crisis, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has revealed that only between 10 and 19 per cent of Nigerians pay taxes, making it one of the lowest compliance rates on the continent.

Speaking at the public presentation of a new children’s tax education book titled “Taxation: Essential Knowledge for Nigerian Children,” in Abuja, on Tuesday, May 27, FIRS Executive Chairman Dr Zacch Adedeji said the figures are drawn from both internal studies and external research.

Adedeji, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Research and Statistics, Aisha Hamman, said: “First of all, I want to say that we have done a couple of studies and found that tax compliance is positively correlated with tax education. So, when children are educated, they grow up to become responsible individuals, pay their taxes, and do what is right. Our studies have shown that only 19 per cent of Nigerians pay tax.

“Other studies have shown that only 10 per cent of citizens pay tax. Some researchers have shown that only 10 to 15 per cent of citizens pay tax. This is extremely low compared to other countries, even within Africa.”

In response, he noted that the Service is turning its attention to the nation’s children in a long-term strategy to reverse the trend.

Adedeji explained that the book, published by Sprezzatura Publishing Ltd in collaboration with FIRS, is part of a larger initiative to build tax consciousness among Nigerian youths.

“When children grow up understanding taxes, they grow up demanding transparency. And that is a win for both governance and development,” he stated.

Despite current challenges, the FIRS boss said the agency remains committed to achieving its ambitious N20 trillion revenue target for 2025.

According to him, “Through reforms, harmonisation, and citizen engagement like this book launch, we are hopeful of surpassing our goals.”

Also speaking, Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the FIRS chairman, Arabirin Atoyebi, said the book uses simplified language, cartoons, and relatable stories to teach primary and secondary school students the importance of taxes, civic duty, and government accountability.

Atoyebi, who is the co-author of the book, disclosed that over 60,000 copies have already been printed and are ready for free distribution to schools, libraries, and learning centres nationwide. She added that the project will be scaled up over time.

“There is a huge gap between taxation and education. Most people don’t want to pay tax because they do not understand it. That’s why we created this book, to teach children civic responsibility and show them how tax funds infrastructure, education, and public services. We simplified the language and used comics so it is easy and fun to understand,” the TA stated.

On his part, Managing Director of Sprezzatura Publishing, Dr Mohammed Abubakar, noted that the initiative fills a critical gap in Nigeria’s education system. “Most of us never learned about taxes until we were adults. There was a complete absence of materials for children on taxation. This book changes that,” he said.