By Olusegun Obisanya
The Tax Ombud and Chief Executive Officer of the Office of the Tax Ombud, Dr John Nwabueze, has charged financial journalists to deepen public understanding of Nigeria’s ongoing tax reforms and help build confidence in the country’s tax system.
Nwabueze gave the charge at the 36th Anniversary Conference of the Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria in Lagos, where he spoke on the theme, “Building Taxpayer Confidence and Trust in Nigeria’s Tax Reform Agenda.”
The FICAN conference was themed “Building on the Gains of Recapitalisation, Tax Reforms & the Fintech Revolution”.
He said financial journalists had a critical role to play in translating complex fiscal policies and government positions into information that businesses, households, investors and policymakers could easily understand.
According to him, FICAN remains an important bridge between policy institutions and the public, making financial journalism crucial to the success of the tax reform agenda.
Nwabueze identified five areas where journalists could make a significant contribution to tax reform. They include explaining tax laws and their practical implications, examining implementation rather than merely reporting announcements, distinguishing lawful tax planning from tax evasion, investigating administrative fairness, and promoting financial and tax literacy.
He said journalists should also go beyond reporting revenue figures by explaining the link between tax collection, public expenditure, service delivery and economic development.
“The media’s role is not to endorse every government policy or oppose every reform. It is to inform the public, ask difficult questions, verify claims and hold institutions accountable. A trusted financial press strengthens the quality of public discourse,” he said.
The Tax Ombud commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his leadership and commitment to reforming Nigeria’s tax and revenue administration framework to promote fairness, inclusiveness and sustainability.
He said the comprehensive tax and revenue reforms had also given rise to the establishment of the Office of the Tax Ombud, describing the development as important to strengthening confidence in the tax system.
Nwabueze said the office was committed to contributing to a broader understanding of the objectives and outcomes of the tax reform agenda.
He added that building trust in the tax system required institutions that taxpayers could approach confidently while enabling revenue authorities to engage with citizens constructively.
“We must build institutions that taxpayers can approach with confidence and revenue authorities can engage with constructively. The objective is to strengthen lawful administration and encourage responsible engagement,” he stated.
He urged financial journalists to maintain accuracy, independence and accountability in their coverage of tax reforms, stressing that informed reporting would help Nigerians better understand their obligations and the broader economic implications of the reforms.
