Business
Tax Ombud seeks stronger collaboration with revenue agencies to protect taxpayers’ rights
The Office of the Tax Ombud has called on revenue-generating agencies to designate liaison officers to strengthen coordination, resolve taxpayer complaints faster and improve accountability within Nigeria’s tax system.
The Tax Ombud and Chief Executive of the Office of the Tax Ombud, John Nwabueze, made the call on Thursday at a stakeholder engagement in Abuja.
The engagement, themed “Promoting Fairness, Transparency and Trust in Tax and Revenue Administration in Nigeria,” focused on improving the relationship between taxpayers and government institutions responsible for collecting public revenue.
Mr Nwabueze said the objective of the office was not to undermine revenue collection but to ensure that the exercise of government’s power to collect taxes was matched by fairness, transparency and access to redress.
“Today is not simply about discussing taxation and revenue. It is about strengthening the relationship between the taxpayer and the institutions responsible for administering public revenue,” he said.
He explained that the Tax Ombud mechanism represented an important development in modern tax administration, where the rights and concerns of taxpayers are considered alongside the need for government to generate revenue.
From tax collection to taxpayer protection
Mr Nwabueze traced the development of the Ombudsman system to Sweden, where the modern institution originated in 1809, before specialised taxpayer advocacy emerged in other countries.
He said the United States established the Office of the Tax Ombudsman within the Internal Revenue Service in 1979, marking a shift towards specialised protection for taxpayers within tax administration.
According to him, Nigeria is the ninth country globally and the third in Africa to adopt the tax advocacy mechanism.
He said the establishment of the Nigerian Office of the Tax Ombud under the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2025, was therefore part of a broader international evolution in tax administration.
For years, Nigeria’s tax dispute-resolution system was largely built around objections to tax assessments, administrative reviews, the Tax Appeal Tribunal and the courts.
Mr Nwabueze said those mechanisms remained important, particularly in determining substantive tax liabilities, but there had been a gap for taxpayers facing administrative or procedural difficulties in their dealings with revenue authorities.
He added that the Tax Ombud was created to help fill that gap.
The office receives, investigates and resolves complaints relating to taxes, levies, regulatory fees and charges, customs duties and excise matters.
However, he clarified that its mandate does not extend to determining substantive tax assessments, which fall within the jurisdiction of the appropriate tax dispute-resolution institutions, including the Tax Appeal Tribunal.
“Our institution is impartial, accessible, and most importantly, free to all taxpayers. We are committed to timely, professional mediation and to escalating systemic issues to the highest levels for policy remedies,” he said.
According to him, the office has 14 days to resolve a complaint, with a possible seven-day extension where necessary. Unresolved matters may be escalated to the National Assembly in accordance with the law.
Mr Nwabueze said the Tax Ombud had already begun implementing measures to make the institution more accessible to taxpayers.
These include the launch of its website, an interactive contact centre and a case-management portal through which taxpayers can submit complaints, obtain information, track cases and receive assistance.
He said the office was also progressively digitalising its internal processes and service delivery systems to reduce reliance on manual procedures and improve efficiency.
The aim, he said, was not merely to introduce technology but to use it to make taxpayer services faster, more transparent and accountable.
He also announced plans to expand the physical presence of the office beyond Abuja.
According to him, the Tax Ombud is working with state governments to establish zonal offices across the country, with at least three expected to commence operations within the next few weeks.
He said the eventual objective was to take the services of the office closer to taxpayers across the country, including individuals and businesses that may find it difficult to access the institution from the Federal Capital Territory.
Taxpayer rights charter coming
Another major initiative, Mr Nwabueze said, is the development of a Taxpayer Bill of Rights and Obligations Charter, which is expected to be launched in the coming weeks.
He highlighted that the charter would explain the rights and responsibilities of taxpayers and set out the standards of fairness, transparency and accountability they should expect from tax and revenue authorities.
The document, he added, would be published on the office’s digital platforms and other public channels.
Mr Nwabueze urged tax and revenue authorities to support its dissemination through their offices and digital platforms, saying that greater awareness of taxpayer rights could encourage voluntary compliance, prevent disputes and build trust between taxpayers and government institutions.
Ombud seeks liaison officers
The Tax Ombud also proposed a formal coordination mechanism between his office and revenue-generating agencies.
He urged the agencies to designate liaison officers who would serve as institutional points of contact with the Office of the Tax Ombud.
The officers, he said, would facilitate the timely communication and referral of taxpayer complaints, early resolution and prevention of disputes, information sharing within the limits of the law, and identification of recurring administrative challenges.
They would also help with the implementation and follow-up of recommendations arising from interventions by the Tax Ombud.
Mr Nwabueze noted that such framework would allow individual complaints to be resolved more quickly while helping government identify systemic problems affecting taxpayers.
Stakeholders seek fairer tax administration
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, the minister’s representative, Olufemi Olarinde, described the Office of the Tax Ombud as a new and independent institution established to address taxpayer grievances, promote systemic reforms and serve as a bridge between taxpayers and revenue authorities.
Mr Olarinde commended the office’s efforts to deepen collaboration, embrace digital innovation and promote accountability, fairness and trust in Nigeria’s tax administration.
Other stakeholders also called for greater transparency and consultation in the administration of taxes and revenue.
Representing the Corporate Affairs Commission, the Director of Finance and Accounts, Emmanuel Sunday Inyang, said a sustainable tax system depended on taxpayers understanding their obligations and being treated fairly.
He stressed the importance of transparency, efficient business registration processes and collaboration among government agencies, saying the protection of taxpayer rights should go alongside efforts to improve compliance.
The representative of the FCT Internal Revenue Service, Hassan Usman, also emphasised the importance of transparency and accessible services in building confidence in the tax system.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Vivian Chimizia Azubuike, called for greater fairness and transparency in tax policies affecting the maritime sector, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises.
READ ALSO: Tax Ombud braces for digital asset tax disputes, seeks greater public awareness
Ms Azubuike also urged revenue authorities to institutionalise consultations with stakeholders before issuing new tax circulars.
She said fairness and swift resolution of disputes should become a standard feature of tax administration.
The engagement also featured a panel discussion involving representatives of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, fintech associations and the ICT team of the Office of the Tax Ombud.
The discussions focused on practical measures to improve taxpayer confidence, strengthen dispute resolution, promote digital innovation and improve collaboration between businesses and tax authorities.
The stakeholder engagement brought together representatives of government agencies, private-sector organisations, civil society groups and the media to discuss ways of making Nigeria’s tax administration more responsive, equitable and trusted.
Mr Nwabueze said the success of the institution would ultimately depend on cooperation between taxpayers and revenue authorities.
He urged stakeholders to see taxpayer protection and revenue mobilisation as complementary rather than competing objectives.
“The journey to a trusted tax system is a collective one,” he said.
Discover more from Premium Times Nigeria
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Climate change and its sweeping impact on human health are expected to feature prominently in discussions at the ongoing 31st session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye, as global health and climate funders mobilise more than $375 million to address climate-related health challenges.
The funding, announced at the opening of the conference on Monday, is expected to support efforts to ramp up adaptation and mitigation measures, particularly in vulnerable communities at the mercy of extreme heat, air pollution, climate-sensitive infectious diseases and other health risks linked to global warming.
The announcement comes amid fresh warnings from international climate and health pundits that rising global temperatures, worsening extreme weather events and soaring greenhouse gas concentrations are heaping unprecedented pressure on public health systems.
In Nigeria and several other countries worldwide, surging temperatures have fuelled public health concerns in recent years. The emergence of El Niño—a natural climate pattern marked by the warming of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean —is also stoking worries among world leaders.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the UN Climate Change, said the world is witnessing dangerous heat levels that expose hundreds of millions of people to extreme temperatures.
“As today’s important data from the WMO shows, the world is getting dangerously hot. Hundreds of millions of people are exposed to extreme heat across Southern Asia,” Mr Stiell said.
He said heatwaves during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer broke temperature records and killed an estimated 50,000 people across Europe.
According to him, climate change has evolved into a global health crisis, with consequences ranging from toxic air pollution and extreme heat to climate-related disasters that overwhelm health systems and critical infrastructure.
Climate crisis is a global health emergency
Mr Stiell identified the effects of rising temperatures on pregnancy, newborns and maternal health as another emerging health disaster linked to climate change.
He attributed the worsening situation to continued dependence on fossil fuels and deforestation, warning that the consequences are becoming increasingly dangerous for vulnerable populations.
“The impacts of rising heat on pregnancy, newborns and maternal health are another unfolding health disaster which has the fingerprints of the climate crisis all over it,” he said.
He added that health will remain central to COP31 discussions, guided by Türkiye and Australia, building on the progress made at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
The UN climate chief also highlighted the Climate & Health Funders Coalition, which he said has already awarded more than $200 million to back climate and health interventions before the latest funding announcement.
Mr Stiell said practical solutions, including electrification and the transition to clean energy, are crucial to reducing climate-related health risks and the economic pressures associated with fossil fuel dependence.
He urged governments to accelerate the transition to cleaner energy, warning that continued reliance on fossil fuels will expose households, businesses and governments, including health systems, to soaring costs.
WMO: Global temperatures set to rise further
Also speaking, Celeste Saulo, the secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), said the organisation’s State of the Climate Update 2026 presented fresh evidence of an accelerating climate crisis.
She remarked that the past 12 years have been the warmest on record, while the past four years, including 2026, are the four warmest years recorded.
According to her, the global average temperature between January and September 2026 was approximately 1.47 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average.
Ms Saulo observed that temperatures could rise further before the end of the year due to a strong El Niño event, adding that its greatest impact on global temperatures is likely to be felt in 2027.
She said the current El Niño is unusually strong, with forecasts indicating that sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific could approach four times the threshold used by the WMO to declare an El Niño event between November 2026 and January 2027.
The WMO chief also disclosed other alarming indicators, including ocean heat touching a record high for the tenth year in a row and sea levels jumping to unprecedented levels.
She said rising sea levels are increasing the risks facing approximately 900 million people living along low-lying coastal areas.
Ms Saulo added that millions of people experienced dangerous heat in 2026, contributing to tens of thousands of excess deaths in Europe alone, while India, Pakistan and large parts of Asia and North America also experienced severe heatwaves.
She further cited devastating floods in parts of South America and Africa, droughts across parts of Asia, the Pacific and Central America, and catastrophic high-mountain disasters in China and Nepal.
Despite the worsening situation, she said progress is being made in strengthening early warning systems.
According to her, the number of countries reporting multi-hazard early warning systems increased from 56 in 2015 to 136 in 2025.
She urged governments at COP31 to prioritise sustained investments in climate observations, data systems and early warning infrastructure.
“We cannot afford to fly blind,” she said, stressing the need for urgent decisions and funding to address the growing climate threat.
Wellcome: Coalition awards over $225m in first year
Similarly, Alan Dangour, director of climate and health at Wellcome, said the latest WMO climate assessment demonstrates the magnitude of the threat posed by rising greenhouse gas concentrations, record-breaking temperatures, melting sea ice and rising sea levels.
He said the effects of climate change are increasingly being felt by people across the world, yet human health remains insufficiently prioritised in international climate negotiations.
“At Wellcome, we focus on people – on human health. And we’re working night and day to bring the health and wellbeing of people into rooms like this and the big negotiating rooms out there so that the impact of climate change on people finally takes its place at the climate change table,” he said.
Mr Dangour cited findings from the Lancet Countdown annual report, which Wellcome funds, estimating that fossil fuel-related air pollution and extreme heat contribute to more than three million deaths annually.
He also noted that extreme drought affected nearly 52 per cent of the world’s land for at least one month in 2025, the second-highest level on record.
According to him, drought and changing groundwater conditions are worsening food insecurity and sanitation challenges, with significant implications for public health.
However, he said several proven interventions could help curtail the health burden of climate change.
These include cleaner energy, electrification, heat early warning systems and broader adaptation measures, which he said could prevent deaths and reduce healthcare costs.
READ ALSO: COP31 opens in Türkiye with focus on climate finance, implementation
On the coalition’s funding efforts, Mr Dangour said Wellcome has joined forces with more than 35 philanthropic organisations to establish the Climate & Health Funders Coalition at COP30 in Belém, with an initial joint commitment of $300 million.
He announced that the coalition awarded more than $225 million in its first year to support interventions addressing extreme heat, air pollution, climate-sensitive infectious diseases and data systems.
The coalition also attracted an additional $150 million in commitments from new and existing funders, bringing the total funding mobilised to more than $375 million.
Mr Dangour called on governments and businesses to strengthen their responses to climate-related health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups, including children, pregnant women, outdoor workers and older people.
He also highlighted the need for policies to protect pregnant women and newborns from extreme heat exposure.
At the Pre-COP31 meeting in Fiji, he said Wellcome and its partners launched a global call to action seeking improved health guidelines, information, plans and data to protect pregnant women from extreme heat.
He urged governments to put human health and wellbeing at the centre of climate action, arguing that the success of climate negotiations should be measured not only by emissions reductions and temperature targets but also by lives saved and improved health outcomes.
Discover more from Premium Times Nigeria
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
-
News24 hours agoTroops Arrest Suspected Gunrunner, Neutralise Two Terrorists in Plateau
-
News2 days ago
Makinde Visits COCIN Headquarters in Jos, Urges Christians to Shape Nigeria’s Political Future
-
News3 days ago
Presidency seeks AI safeguards ahead of 2027 elections – Technology Times
-
News4 days ago
NISER, IWMI Seek Urgent Reforms To Fix Nigeria’s Agricultural System
