The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi has described the ongoing tax fraud saga as alarming.
Obi in a statement issued Friday said for the first time in Nigeria’s history, a tax law has reportedly been forged, while the National Assembly itself has admitted that the version gazetted was not what was passed into law.
According to him, Yet citizens are being asked to pay higher taxes under this manipulated framework — without transparency, without explanation, and without corresponding benefits. Yet today, Nigerians are asked to pay taxes without clarity, explanation, or visible benefit.
Obi, who recently joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC) explained that transformative leaders — those who successfully unite their people around a shared vision — share a defining quality: honesty.
He noted that the government must be transparent and truthful because citizens deserve nothing less from those who lead them.
Obi emphasised that true leaders do not exploit their people to enrich themselves and a few cronies; they build trust, unity, and shared purpose — the foundation of sustainable progress.
He added: “It is against this standard of honest leadership that Nigeria’s current approach to taxation must be measured.
“If taxation is to function as a genuine social contract, it must be rooted in sincerity, fairness, and concern for the welfare of the people.
“Every tax policy should be clearly explained, including its impact on incomes and its expected contribution to national development. Without this transparency, taxation becomes a tool of confusion and burden rather than a mechanism for growth and development.
“Nigeria must rethink taxation if it is serious about economic growth, national unity, and shared prosperity. The purpose of sound fiscal policy is not merely to raise revenue; it is to make the people wealthier so that the nation itself becomes stronger. Yet today, Nigerians are asked to pay taxes without clarity, explanation, or visible benefit.
“The solution begins with empowering small and medium-sized enterprises in every community. When small businesses thrive, jobs are created, incomes rise, and the tax base expands naturally. You cannot tax your way out of poverty – you must produce your way out of it.
“This makes the ongoing tax fraud saga particularly alarming. For the first time in Nigeria’s history, a tax law has reportedly been forged.
“The National Assembly itself has admitted that the version gazetted is not what was passed into law. Yet citizens are being asked to pay higher taxes under this manipulated framework—without transparency, without explanation, and without corresponding benefits.”
Obi said there is no virtue in celebrating increased government revenue while the people grow poorer, stressing that taxing poverty does not create wealth; it deepens hardship.
He pointed out that any tax system that makes citizens poorer violates the fundamental principles of good governance and sound fiscal policy.
The former Governor of Anambra State said Nigeria needs a fair, lawful, and people-centred tax system — one that supports production, rewards enterprise, protects the vulnerable, and restores trust between government and citizens.
“Only then can taxation become a true tool for unity, growth, and shared prosperity,” he said.