By Shindong Bala
The Kaduna State Government has called for the establishment of a zonal office of the Tax Ombud in the state to strengthen taxpayer protection, promote fairness in revenue administration and provide an independent mechanism for resolving tax-related administrative disputes.
Governor Uba Sani made the call at the North-West Zonal Stakeholders Engagement on Tax and Revenue Administration, organised by the Office of the Tax Ombud in Kaduna, with the theme: “Promoting Fairness in Tax and Revenue Administration in Nigeria.”
Represented by the Commissioner for Finance, Mohammed Ibrahim, the governor said taxation remained a critical instrument for financing development and providing essential public services, but stressed that an effective tax system must go beyond revenue generation to promote transparency, accountability and public confidence.
He said Kaduna State had demonstrated that revenue could be increased through stakeholder engagement and voluntary compliance rather than what he described as unnecessary or excessive enforcement.
According to him, the North-West region generated about N916 billion in tax revenue between 2023 and 2025, with Kaduna State contributing about N220 billion to top the region, while Kano State generated approximately N214 billion during the same period.
Governor Sani attributed Kaduna’s performance to sustained engagement with taxpayers and businesses, saying the approach had encouraged voluntary compliance.
He said: “You can generate enough revenue that you require without necessarily doing brutal enforcement. If you insist and continue to encourage stakeholder engagement, you will be able to get much more voluntary compliance from people and get higher revenues.”
The governor also said his administration was committed to ensuring that internally generated revenue was channelled into meaningful development projects, particularly infrastructure, rather than being used mainly to meet recurrent expenditure.
He explained that taxpayers would be more willing to fulfil their obligations when they could see the impact of their contributions in roads and other public infrastructure.
Governor Sani therefore urged the Tax Ombud to consider establishing its North-West zonal office in Kaduna, saying the move would enable other states to study the state’s revenue administration model and learn how stakeholder engagement could translate into improved compliance and revenue generation.
Tax Ombud Committed to Taxpayer Rights
Earlier, the Chief Executive of the Office of the Tax Ombud, Dr John Nwabueze, said the office was established under the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025, with a mandate to provide independent, impartial and accessible redress for taxpayers facing administrative challenges in the tax system.
Dr. Nwabueze said the services of the office were free to complainants and that no taxpayer should be required to pay to lodge a complaint.
He explained that the office receives and manages complaints, investigates maladministration, facilitates mediation and conciliation, makes remedial recommendations, identifies systemic administrative weaknesses and engages revenue authorities on appropriate solutions.
He stressed, however, that the Tax Ombud was not established to cancel legitimate tax liabilities or shield taxpayers from their lawful obligations.
“The message of the Tax Ombud is: Pay what the law requires and know your rights when the administration of that obligation becomes an issue,” he said.
Nwabueze said the office was principally concerned with operational, procedural and administrative issues in tax and revenue administration, including whether the process through which a taxpayer’s obligation was determined was fair, lawful, transparent and consistent.
He urged revenue authorities to strengthen their internal complaint-resolution mechanisms and ensure that enforcement actions were carried out with due process and respect for taxpayers’ dignity.
He also called for greater efforts to ensure that rural taxpayers, small businesses, informal traders and persons with disabilities had access to tax information and effective avenues for redress.
The Tax Ombud CEO said recommendations from the stakeholder engagement would be documented and used to guide further engagement with revenue authorities, the Joint Revenue Board, the Federal Ministry of Finance and other relevant stakeholders.
Stakeholders expressed Support to Tax Ombud
The Acting Chairman of the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service, Dr Mohammed Lawal, and the Special Adviser on Revenue Services to the Sokoto State Government, Isa Mu’azu, expressed support for the initiative, particularly its emphasis on reconciliation, transparency and fairness in tax administration.
The Tax Ombud’s office had earlier conducted a roadshow in Kaduna metropolis ahead of the engagement to sensitise taxpayers and business owners on their rights and responsibilities, tax compliance and the avenues available for lodging complaints.
The stakeholders agreed that a sustainable tax system must balance government’s need to mobilise resources with taxpayers’ rights to fairness, transparency, accountability and effective administrative redress.
Editing By Yusuf Zubairu
