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Falana Says Judgement on VAT Will Strengthen Campaign for Restructuring
Mr. Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, has, said the judgement of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, which ruled against the administration and collection of Value Added Tax (VAT) by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) not only corroborated the struggle for restructuring via litigation, but also strengthened the campaign.
Falana urged all state governments to team up with Rivers State Government to defend the judgement.
However, Falana warned that the FIRS should not be prevented from collecting VAT, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal. He said dispute over the enforcement authority of VAT, should not call for anarchy.
The lawyer added that, if implemented, Lagos State Government, believed to contribute about 70 per cent of VAT, would be the greatest beneficiary, followed by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with 15 per cent contribution to VAT.
Falana, a former President of the West African Bar Association (WABA), also contended that it was evident in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended) that VAT, “is neither listed in the Exclusive Legislative List nor on the Concurrent Legislative List.”
The legal luminary spoke in response to THISDAY’s enquiries on whether or not Rivers State Value Added Tax Law No.4 of 2021 was enacted in contravention of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
Justice Stephen D. Pam of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt had ruled that the FIRS lacked constitutional authority to enforce and administer taxes not expressly stipulated under Items 58 and 59 of Part I of the Second Schedule to the 1999 Constitution.
Emboldened by the judgement of the Federal High Court, the Rivers State House of Assembly duly passed the State Valued Added Tax Bill No. 4 of 2021, whichMr. Nyesom Wike, state governor, subsequently signed into law.
FIRS said in a statement by Abdullahi Ahmad, irector of Communications and Liaison, advised taxpayers to continue remitting their VATs to the federal agency or face stiff penalties if they failed to honour their tax obligations.
But Falana, in response to THISDAY’s inquiries, explained away the constitutional provisions for the administration, collection and enforcement of VAT in relation to the power of the FIRS under the Value Added Tax Act, 2007, which had its foundation in the Decree No. 102 of 1993.
He said the judgement of the federal high court was consistent with Items 58 and 59 of Part 1 of the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, which according to him, did not encompass the VAT or consumption taxes.
On this ground, according to him, the court decision that the Rivers State Government and not the federal government was constitutionally entitled to impose VAT, enforceable or collectable in its territory was in order.
Based on the judgement, the senior advocate challenged other states of the federation to file applications to join the case at the Court of Appeal as interested parties to defend the judgement of the Federal High Court.
Specifically, Falana explained that other state governments “will have to join Rivers State to defend the judgement of the Federal High Court. They are entitled to join the suit at the appellate court because any order from the appeal will affect them.”
Falana pointed out that in view of the valid and subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court, the Rivers State Value Added Tax Law No. 4 of 2021, “has not impugned any provision of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended).”
He said the judgement “will provide an opportunity for the appellate courts to review the contradictory judicial authorities on the legal status of VAT. Actually, there is a lacuna in the 1999 Constitution. The lacuna is that VAT is not on the Exclusive Legislative List, which was the basis of the judgement.”
The senior advocate explained that the judgement of the federal high court, “has confirmed the struggle for restructuring via litigation. That means that the judgement will strengthen the campaign for restructuring.”
Falana also observed that the judgement, “has a lot of implications for the dwindling revenue of the state and local governments across the federation,” which according to him, reinforced the call for other state governments to join the suit at the appellate court.
“VAT was increased from five per cent to 7.5 per cent last year by the National Assembly. Right now, VAT collected is between N1.5 trillion and N1.8 trillion per annum.
“VAT is fully collected by the federal government and payable into the federation account for distribution among the three tiers of government. Even though state governments have joined the campaign for resource control, the judgement is not in favour of the majority of them.
“If the judgement is implemented, the Lagos State Government, which contributes about 70 per cent of VAT, will be the greatest beneficiary. The Federal Capital Territory will be the next beneficiary with 15 per cent contribution to VAT.
“Apart from Rivers and about four other states that will benefit minimally, not less than 30 states will be adversely affected as they contribute little to the VAT. It is expected that apart from FIRS, which is allocated four per cent from VAT as cost of collection, other state governments may file applications to join the case at the Court of Appeal as interested parties.
“It is also interesting to note that the judgement does not affect the collection of import VAT on international trade. The judgement requires all stakeholders to take advantage of the current constitutional review to examine the collection of VAT as it is neither in the exclusive nor in the concurrent legislative lists under the 1999 Constitution.
“Since an appeal to the Court of Appeal together with a motion for stay of execution had been filed, the FIRS had simply enjoined all parties to allow the status quo to remain.”
He said FIRS should not be prevented from collecting VAT, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal. He said the dispute over the enforcement authority of VAT “is not a call for anarchy.”
Rather, according to the senior advocate, the process was meant to ensure that appeal that had been filed by the FIRS was not rendered nugatory. That was the practice in Nigeria, when the rule of law reigned supreme.
Falana also expressed reservations about the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in terms of upholding the rule of law.
He lamented that the Buhari administration “has put the rule of law in abeyance by saying that court orders should pave the way for national security. A regime that has disdain for the rule of law cannot turn round to insist on compliance with court orders.”
To compound the crisis, Falana acknowledged that Rivers State Government “has enacted a Value Added Tax Law. The effect is that the law takes precedence over the practice of suspending action until the hearing and determination of the motion of the FIRS for stay of execution.
“As soon as the vacation of the courts ends, the FIRS will ensure that the trial court hears its motion for stay. If the motion is granted, the status quo remains but if it is refused the Rivers State Government will continue to collect VAT under the new law, because of the serious issues involved in the case, the legal battle will be pursued up to the Supreme Court.”
Union Bank of Nigeria has secured certification under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) version 4.0.1, a global standard for protecting payment card data.
The certification took effect on August 11, 2026, confirming that the bank’s systems for storing, processing and transmitting customers’ credit and debit card information meet stringent international security requirements.
PCI DSS certification is designed to reduce the risk of payment card data breaches and financial fraud while strengthening customer confidence in electronic payment systems.
The assessment covered key areas of Union Bank’s operations, including network infrastructure, card issuance, ATM and POS transactions, payment processing, reconciliation, settlement, chargebacks, dispute resolution and retail banking.
Union Bank was assessed and certified under the Service Provider category.
The certification process lasted a full year and involved quarterly assessments, with support from departmental, business and functional heads across the bank. Digital security firm Digital Encode supported the process, while the final independent audit was conducted by CyberCube, an accredited Qualified Security Assessor.
Yetunde B. Oni, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank, said the certification demonstrates the bank’s commitment to protecting customer information.
“The security of our customers’ information is central to everything we do at Union Bank. This certification reaffirms that our payment systems and processes meet a rigorous global standard, and it reflects the discipline of colleagues across the Bank who work every day to keep customer data safe.”
The renewal also ensures that Union Bank maintains continuous PCI DSS certification, in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s requirement for banks to sustain compliance without interruption.
New data from CFA Society Nigeria is reshaping how the country’s financial sector thinks about talent development, with Access emerging as the single largest source of CFA candidates in Nigeria, distinction industry watchers say signals a deeper shift in how leading institutions are building investment expertise from within.
In its Where Nigeria’s Finance Professionals Work series, published in a national daily, CFA Society Nigeria placed Access first among employers of CFA candidates nationwide, with 82 candidates enrolled in the programme, more than double the 38 recorded at the next-placed institution and well ahead of every other bank or financial services firm on the list.
Access also ranked second among employers of CFA charterholders, with 11 professionals who have completed all three levels of the Programme and met its experience and ethics requirements.
For an industry that has long measured itself by balance sheet size and branch count, the rankings point to a different kind of competition: one over who is building the deepest bench of certified, globally credentialed talent.
CFA Society Nigeria compiled the data from its Salesforce Membership Database as at June 2026, and described the exercise as a way of recognising employers whose people “bring rigour, integrity and global best practices into the workplace every day.”
Analysts following the sector say the outcome is notable less for the ranking itself than for what it suggests about talent strategy across Africa’s financial services industry. A single institution developing more aspiring charterholders than the rest of the market combined raises the floor for professional standards nationally, not just within one balance sheet.
Every candidate who advances through the CFA Programme adds to a shared pool of ethics-trained, analytically rigorous professionals that Nigeria’s capital markets, pension funds and asset managers all eventually draw from.
Access Holdings Group Chief Executive Officer Innocent C. Ike, commenting on the rankings, framed the achievement in terms of institution-building rather than recruitment: “Every candidate on that list represents our commitment to building institutions and professionals that endure.”
The remark echoes a broader thesis increasingly voiced by market observers, that talent depth, not scale alone, is what will determine which African financial institutions earn lasting global credibility.
That distinction sits at the centre of Access’s stated ambition to become the World’s Most Respected African Financial Services Group. If the CFA numbers are any indication, the Group’s route to that goal runs less through square metres of branch network and more through the calibre of the people sitting inside it, a bet that Nigeria’s finance professionals, and the institutions that will one day hire them, are already placing alongside Access.
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced plans to introduce Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking technology across domestic and international airport terminals to tackle the growing problem of delayed, misrouted and missing luggages
Michael Achimugu, director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, disclosed this at a stakeholder engagement forum in Lagos.
Achimugu said the RFID-enabled system would replace the traditional barcode-based baggage tracking framework and provide airlines and passengers with real-time visibility of checked luggage from check-in to final collection.
According to him, the technology would improve baggage traceability, reduce mishandling and strengthen accountability across the baggage-handling chain.
Unlike conventional barcode systems, RFID technology allows baggage to be automatically scanned at multiple points without requiring direct line of sight, enabling real-time tracking of luggage throughout its journey.
Achimugu said issues involving short-landed, missing, lost or damaged baggage had remained among the major complaints from air travellers, alongside flight delays.
He said the introduction of RFID technology was therefore aimed at improving baggage-handling standards and restoring passenger confidence in the aviation sector.
The NCAA said the initiative also aligns with IATA Resolution 753, which requires airlines to track baggage at key points during the passenger journey.
The authority expects the technology to provide more accurate information on the location of luggage, facilitate quicker resolution of baggage-related complaints and improve the overall passenger experience.
The NCAA said the initiative would also strengthen accountability among airlines and other stakeholders involved in baggage handling at Nigerian airports.
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