Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged Nigerians to embrace tax payment as a necessary responsibility for national development, saying the country cannot continue to demand better infrastructure and public services without citizens contributing financially.
Speaking on Friday at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, the president said many Nigerians expect improved roads, hospitals, schools and social welfare programmes while resisting taxation and other economic reforms.
“Nobody likes paying taxes, but everyone wants development,” Tinubu said. “People want good roads, quality healthcare and a better future for their children, yet they are unwilling to contribute through taxes.
The question is, how do we fund development if citizens refuse to play their part?”
The president stressed that paying taxes is a civic duty that applies to both individuals and businesses, except those legally exempted.
“A citizen who pays tax is fulfilling an obligation to the country. If you are not paying taxes and you are not exempted, then you are not meeting your responsibility,” he added.
Tinubu also defended the economic reforms introduced by his administration, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market, describing them as painful but necessary decisions aimed at rescuing the economy from collapse.
According to him, Nigeria could no longer sustain a system that encouraged corruption, smuggling and excessive government spending.
“We were spending the resources of future generations before they were even born,” he said.
The president recalled that before the reforms, many states struggled to pay workers’ salaries despite the country’s oil earnings, while fuel subsidies continued to drain public finances even though local refineries remained inactive.
“You are producing oil, spending huge amounts on subsidy, yet the refineries are not functioning. That situation was simply unsustainable,” Tinubu noted.
He admitted that the reforms initially brought hardship and criticism but insisted there were already signs of improvement, particularly in the stability of the naira and economic planning.
Tinubu said savings from the reforms had allowed the government to expand support programmes for students and vulnerable Nigerians through education funding and direct intervention initiatives.
Despite ongoing economic pressure on citizens, the president expressed confidence that the reforms would eventually lead to long-term recovery, stability and sustainable growth for the country.
