National Anti-Corruption Coalition (NACC), has called for full transparency regarding any taxes, levies, rates, permits, or charges being imposed on schools by local government authorities in Ogun State
NACC is the Anti-Corruption Crusade, Organisation of People's Voice, a member of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)
The Ogun State Chapter Chairman of NACC, Ustadh Tajudeen Jimoh Alao, an Anti-Corruption Ambassador of Nigeria, on behalf of the Office of the State Coordinator of the Anti-Corruption Crusade, Mr Idris Kelvin Abu, made the call in a statement made, said the implementation of Nigeria's Tax Reform Acts, 2025, which came into effect on 1 January 2026 had harmonized tax administration, eliminate multiple taxation, reduce unnecessary fiscal burdens, improve transparency, and create a more predictable and business-friendly environment for taxpayers.
The Nigeria Tax Act, 2025 according to NACC , has consolidated numerous tax provisions into a unified legal framework designed to eliminate conflicting, ambiguous, and overlapping taxation practices that have historically imposed undue hardship on businesses, institutions, and citizens
The organization therefore expressed concern over all forms of tax, levy and rate allegedly being charged by the Abeokuta South Local Government , seeking clarification on the payment
"Against this backdrop, if schools within Abeokuta South Local Government Area and beyond are still being compelled to make payments under any form of local government tax, levy, rate, permit, development charge, or revenue demand, the Local Government owes the public an unequivocal legal explanation."
NACC in the statement, is demanding that the local government should publicly disclose the exact law authorising such collection; the specific section or provisions of that law; the category of schools to which the levy applies; as well as the nature and purpose of the charge; and whether such collections are consistent with the provisions of the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025, and the harmonization framework established under the Joint Revenue Board Act, 2025.
"The rule of law requires that no tax, levy, fee, rate, permit, or charge be imposed without clear statutory authority. Public institutions, private schools, educational stakeholders, parents, and citizens have a legitimate constitutional right to know the legal basis of any financial obligation imposed upon them by any level of government"
"Education remains one of the most critical pillars of national development. Excessive, duplicated, or unlawful levies imposed on schools inevitably increase operational costs, which are ultimately transferred to parents and guardians through higher school fees. At a time when many Nigerian families are grappling with economic pressures, such practices undermine both educational access and the fundamental objectives of the ongoing tax reform agenda"
"It is important to emphasise that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented the tax reforms as a vehicle for fairness, transparency, simplification, coordination, and the elimination of wasteful duplications within the tax system. The reforms were not intended to create new avenues for arbitrary revenue collection or to perpetuate the culture of multiple taxation that has long impeded economic growth, private sector development, and social progress"
Members of the organization maintained that the local government should immediately provide legal basis for any taxes, levies, rates, permits, or charges being imposed on schools and to demonstrate that such collections are fully compliant with Nigeria's current tax laws and reform objectives.
"Where no such legal authority exists, such collections should cease immediately in the interest of justice, transparency, good governance, and compliance with the law"
Tax reform must not exist merely as a legislative aspiration. Its benefits must be experienced in practical terms by schools, businesses, parents, and ordinary citizens. Accountability must begin at every level of government, and public institutions must remain faithful to both the letter and spirit of the law", NACC insisted
THE STATEMENT READS:
The implementation of Nigeria's Tax Reform Acts, 2025, which came into effect on 1 January 2026, represents one of the most far-reaching and significant reforms of the nation's tax system in recent history. The reforms were enacted to harmonise tax administration, eliminate multiple taxation, reduce unnecessary fiscal burdens, improve transparency, and create a more predictable and business-friendly environment for taxpayers.
The Nigeria Tax Act, 2025, consolidated numerous tax provisions into a unified legal framework designed to eliminate conflicting, ambiguous, and overlapping taxation practices that have historically imposed undue hardship on businesses, institutions, and citizens. The
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