The Chief Executive Officer of the Office of the Tax Ombud, Dr John Nwabueze, has called for stronger collaboration among government agencies to improve Nigeria’s revenue administration and protect taxpayers’ rights.
Nwabueze made the call at a stakeholders’ engagement organised by the Office of the Tax Ombud in Abuja. He said effective taxation required a balance between government’s revenue mobilisation goals and the protection of taxpayers from administrative and procedural challenges.
He explained that the Tax Ombud, established under the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Act, 2025, is mandated to receive, investigate and resolve complaints relating to taxes, levies, regulatory fees, customs duties and other related matters. He said Nigeria was the ninth country globally and third in Africa to adopt the tax ombud mechanism.
Nwabueze disclosed that the office had launched a website, contact centre and case-management portal through which taxpayers could submit complaints, access information and track cases. He also announced plans to establish offices in other parts of the country and introduce a taxpayers’ charter outlining their rights, responsibilities and channels for seeking redress.
The Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Hussaini Magaji, and Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, Jibrin Ndace, represented at the event, also called for greater transparency, taxpayer education, digitalisation and inter-agency cooperation to strengthen public confidence and encourage voluntary compliance.
Nwabueze said the ultimate goal was to build a responsive and accountable tax administration that protects taxpayers’ rights while strengthening government revenue and supporting sustainable national development.
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