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Tax Ombudsman is to Protect Businesses from Harassment—Oyedele
Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, has said that the creation of a new office of the Tax Ombudsman (OTO) is to protect businesses from harassment.
Dr. John Nwabueze, Nigeria’s tax ombudsman
Oyedele, who spoke Sat the 24th Annual Conference of the Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) held in Lagos, said that the Tax Ombudsman, will serve as an independent body to mediate disputes and safeguard the rights of taxpayers.
“If anybody shows up to harass you, to collect tax, or to seal up your premises, you can call the Tax Ombudsman. They have the legal authority and obligation to protect your rights,” he stated.
Oyedele said that the new tax regime will favour compliant and formalised enterprises while protecting small and informal businesses from undue pressure and harassment by tax officials.
He said that the ongoing reforms are people-centred and designed to reward compliance, promote fairness, and support economic growth rather than overburden citizens or businesses.
During a panel session themed “The New Tax Law and You,” Oyedele urged entrepreneurs, especially small business owners, to formalise their operations to benefit from a range of incentives embedded in the new tax framework taking effect from January 2026.
“We started the tax and fiscal reform by looking at how people do business, how those businesses grow, and how finance is placed,” he explained. “You can’t knock on the door and say, ‘Tax me.’ Let’s have a conversation on how to create a business that can pay corporate tax. So, the reforms are people-centric.”
According to Oyedele, small companies with an annual turnover of ₦100m or less will enjoy a zero per cent corporate tax rate, in line with the government’s goal of allowing small businesses to expand before being taxed.
“If you run a small company where your annual turnover is ₦100m or less, your corporate tax rate will be zero per cent. What is even more interesting is that the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) will register 250,000 small companies free of charge,” he disclosed.
He also revealed that the reforms would ensure fairness in value-added tax (VAT) administration, adding that critical sectors such as food, water, education, pharmaceuticals, and medical services will be fully exempted from VAT from next year.
“From next year, January 1, this bottle of water will be zero-rated for VAT. The same explanation applies to food, education, pharmaceutical, and medical services,” he said.
Oyedele explained that the government’s decision to exempt essential goods and services from VAT was informed by data showing that low-income Nigerian households spend nearly 80 per cent of their income on food, health, rent, education, and transportation.
“If people spend their entire income on five basic items, food, education, health, rent, and transport, then we must remove the taxes on those,” he noted.
The Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN) and the Association of Corporate Communication and Marketing Professionals in Banks (ACAMB) have enjoined banks to further deepen and prioritize financial inclusion, women’s empowerment and sustained growth through strategic mandates and frameworks, aimed at closing the financial gap and empowering more small, and medium enterprise (MSME) owners.
Both organisations made this call during a courtesy visit to the newly invested 24th President and Chairman of Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Dr. Dele Alabi, Ph.D, FCIB, as part of plans to congratulate him on his investiture as well as seek a stronger alliance between both bodies.
The visit followed Alabi’s investiture where he unveiled his “IMPACT” Vision, themed “Consolidating Our Local Impact, Enhancing Our Global Relevance.”
The vision rests on six pillars: Inclusion across geographic, gender, and generational lines; Membership growth and quality; Professionalism and ethics; Accountability; Competencies and skills development; Technology, automation, and innovation. Other areas of shared interest, include women empowerment, financial inclusion and literacy, as well as MSME clinics, all of which are top on his agenda.
Alabi explained that under him, the institute will be prioritising financial inclusion and women empowerment, because of its realisation that women are often the primary financial managers and caregivers in families. Access to savings, micro-credit, and insurance acts as a safety net during crisis and allows them to significantly improve living conditions.
He added that CIBN would be happy to drive joint knowledge sharing and exchange sessions with CBN and ACAMB across various platforms. “Educating the public through public awareness programmes, with ACAMB as the rallying point, is central to what we do,” he noted.
ACAMB President, Jide Sipe, who led the delegation, spoke in unison with the CIBN president, as he noted that, closing the inbalances in financial access help economies grow faster, reduces inequality, and encourages greater civic participation by all.
Lagos State has become the first sub-national government in Nigeria to establish a comprehensive Greenhouse Gas Registry, a move aimed at strengthening climate governance, improving emissions accountability and accelerating the state’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
The Lagos State Greenhouse Gas Registry (LGHGR) was unveiled at the Central Business District, Alausa, Ikeja, at a ceremony attended by Prof. Akin Abayomi, commissioner for Health, members of the State Executive Council, representatives of the Federal Ministry of Environment, development partners, TPHG Technologies, the diplomatic and business communities, academics, civil society organisations and the media.
Describing the initiative as a landmark achievement in the state’s environmental sustainability drive, Dr. Babatunde Ajayi, general manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), said the Registry marks a defining moment in Lagos’ climate action journey and reflects Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to building a resilient, climate-smart and environmentally sustainable economy.
According to Ajayi, the digital platform will enable the state to accurately measure, monitor, report and verify greenhouse gas emissions across key sectors, providing credible data to guide environmental policies and climate interventions.
He said the Registry would strengthen evidence-based decision-making, improve transparency and accountability, support national and international climate reporting obligations, unlock carbon market opportunities and boost investor confidence in Lagos’ environmental initiatives.
Ajayi also commended TPHG Technologies for providing the technical expertise that made the pioneering project possible.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Abayomi described the Registry as a major milestone that positions Lagos at the forefront of climate governance and emissions accountability in both Nigeria and Africa.
He noted that climate change has evolved into a significant public health and governance challenge, stressing that access to reliable emissions data would enable the state to formulate evidence-based policies, attract climate financing, strengthen resilience and accelerate its transition to a low-carbon economy.
Providing insights into the technical framework of the project, Dr. Mofoluso Fagbeja, lead consultant and chief executive officer, TPHG Technologies, explained that the Registry was developed from the greenhouse gas inventory jointly undertaken by LASEPA and TPHG Technologies in 2022, using 2019 as the baseline year for emissions assessment.
He said the platform is designed to close critical emissions data gaps, particularly within the industrial sector, while supporting effective climate policy implementation, emissions management and sustainable development.
Fagbeja also disclosed that the greenhouse gas inventory estimated that poor air quality contributes to about 35,000 premature deaths annually in Lagos, underscoring the urgent need for stronger emissions control measures and cleaner environmental practices.
In a goodwill message, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, minister of Environment, represented by Mrs. Adenaike Olunimpe Oludunni, federal controller of Environment in Lagos, commended Lagos State for pioneering the initiative, describing it as a significant contribution to Nigeria’s climate commitments.
He said the Registry aligns with the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement and supports the Federal Government’s Energy Transition Plan, while reaffirming the ministry’s commitment to deeper collaboration with Lagos State on climate governance and environmental sustainability.
A recently released Henley Passport Index 2026, showed that Nigerian citizens can travel to at least 20 destinations outside the African continent where entry is allowed either visa-free, with a visa on arrival (VOA) at no extra cost, or via an e-visa.
This expanded access opens doors for Nigerian travellers to experience countries in the Caribbean, Asia, and beyond with greater ease.
Below is a comprehensive guide to countries outside Africa which Nigerian passport holders can visit without a traditional visa.
Visa-Free Countries outside Africa for Nigerian Passport Holders:
Barbados
Cambodia – Visa on arrival
Comoros Islands – Visa on arrival
Cook Islands
Dominica
Fiji
Haiti
Iran – Visa on arrival
Kiribati
Lebanon
Maldives – Visa on arrival
Micronesia
Montserrat
Niue – Visa on arrival
Palau Islands – Visa on arrival
Samoa – Visa on arrival
St. Kitts and Nevis
Timor-Leste – Visa on arrival
Tuvalu
Vanuatuul
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