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30% Of Firms In Nigeria Evade Tax – FIRS

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The Federal Inland Rev
enue Service (FIRS) has said that about 30 percent of companies operating in Nigeria are involved in tax evasion.
Coordinating Director, Field Operation Group of FIRS, Mr Ajayi Bamidele, gave the figures at the stakeholders’ engagement forum organised by the service in Abuja recently.
He also said that 25 percent of registered companies in the country are not paying tax, noting that the challenges of the service include ensuring strict enforcement and capturing the remaining 45 percent of Nigerians who are supposed to pay tax but are not.
According to him, things will not be right until all stakeholders in the tax system play their roles.
Bamidele said the Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) have dual roles – first to act as tax collection agents and, secondly, as tax payers as well.
He urged people to stop patronising touts in paying taxes, adding that tax payment has now been simplified more than any time before.
He said the service is putting in place Information Technology facilities to ensure that tax certificates are collected with ease.
Speaking at the event, the Acting Chairman, FIRS, Kabir Mashi, said the service has already concluded the audit of the MDAs’ accounts for 2011 and 2012 while that of 2013 is still ongoing.
He said FIRS is collaborating with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) to commence the deduction of taxes from source for MDAs.
The Tide source learnt that the service has been experiencing delay in collecting taxes from the MDAs. As at 2012, there were tax arrears of about N170 billion.
Mashi said the event was part of the enlightenment exercise by the service to the taxpayers in order to engage them to settle their taxes without delay.
On the delay in collection of tax clearance certificates and credit notes by some individuals and contractors, Mashi said ideally the certificates should not delay beyond two weeks, adding that any officer that deliberately delayed the process or sought for bribe from taxpayers for certificates should be reported to the FIRS management.
“We have passed the era where to get your tax certificates you need to give bribe. Help us to serve you better,” he said.
On credit note issuance delay, Mashi blamed some MDAs for not playing by the rules, saying some MDAs send the list of contractors to banks without Tax Identification Numbers (TIN). He said that a single contractor without TIN will cause the bank not to remit the payment and “on our side we can’t issue the notes in that case.”
He urged the MDAs to insist that all contractors or people they are dealing with provided them with their TIN numbers before doing any transactions.

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

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National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

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In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
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