By Laide Akinboade Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) has launched Taxporta, a new digital tax management platform, as part of efforts to simplify tax administration and enhance compliance.

The Executive Chairman FCT- IRS , Mr Michael Ango, stated this at a stakeholders’ engagement with MDAs held at the National Assembly Library Trust Fund Complex in Abuja,

He reiterated the Service commitment to continue to improve its services to make filing of taxes easier for all taxpayers, Ministries, Department and Agencies, MDAs.

The essence of the stakeholders engagement is targeted at sensitizing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on the implementation of Nigeria’s 2025 tax reforms to ensure voluntary compliance, get first hand feedback from the agencies representatives, as well as to prevent multiple taxation.

He said the new portal represents an upgrade of the agency’s existing digital infrastructure to provide taxpayers with faster, safer and more efficient services.

According to him, the initiative aligns with the Service’s digital transformation agenda and is designed to enable taxpayers complete virtually all tax-related transactions without visiting FCT-IRS offices.

He noted that Taxporta is an end-to-end self-service platform through which taxpayers can register, file returns, calculate taxes, make payments, generate receipts and obtain tax clearance certificates without third-party assistance.

“Of course, we have a digital agenda. Any serious institution, whether in the public or private sector, has to move with the times…In essence, this is a continuation of our own digital innovation process to ensure that we are able to service our taxpayers so they can do all the things they need to do in the comfort of their homes or offices, without having to leave and come to interact with us physically.”

Ango explained that the portal has been configured to reflect the provisions of the new tax laws, allowing taxpayers to input their income while the system automatically computes tax liabilities, applies statutory allowances and facilitates payments, issuance of receipts and tax clearance certificates.

“All the allowances provided under the law have been imputed into the system. Essentially, you are only going to have to put in your income, all of the rest of the work, things like tax clearance, payments of taxes, and all will be done on the portal.”

He expressed confidence that the new platform would strengthen revenue collection and help the Service exceed its annual revenue targets.

“Our focus, as always, is to ensure that we collect the maximum tax. If I tell you that we are focused on 400 billion or 500 billion, at the end of the year we may do 600 billion.”

On enforcement, the FCT-IRS Chairman said the Service would continue to prioritize voluntary compliance over sanctions.

“The law has already provided timelines for penalties, but I don’t like to focus on penalties when I talk to taxpayers because it makes it seem as if you are just waiting to impose punitive measures. For us, the first line is always voluntary compliance.

“Even when people or government agencies are not able to comply, if there is a valid reason, we are always willing to give an extension of time. It is only when we discover that a taxpayer has become recalcitrant or is willfully refusing to comply that we can begin to talk about penalties.”

Ango further explained that the FCT-IRS occupies a unique position as both a Federal Government agency and an agency of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, making collaboration with MDAs essential to effective revenue administration.

He said the stakeholder engagement was organized to ensure a seamless transition from the previous platform to the upgraded system while strengthening partnerships with government institutions.

He added that improved tax compliance would support the ongoing transformation of Abuja through increased funding for infrastructure and public services.

Highlighting the importance of internally generated revenue (IGR), Ango stated that the FCT depends largely on tax revenue to finance infrastructure and development projects.

“The reality is that the FCT, as an institution, is only funded, apart from the IGR, by 1% of the allocation to the Federal Government. So in a month in which the Federal Government gets, for example, 600 billion, the FCT will only get 6 billion Naira from the Federation Account. There may be some Value Added Tax, and then the bulk of the funds that the FCT is able to access comes from itsservice

In his remarks, Executive Secretary of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund, Hon. Henry Nwauna, described the engagement as a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening collaboration between government institutions and tax authorities.

“This engagement is strategic. It reflects commitment of government institutions to strengthening collaboration, deepen mutual understanding, and promote compliance with tax obligations in support of sustainable national development.”

Nwauna emphasized that stronger cooperation, transparency and accountability among MDAs and tax authorities are critical to improving revenue generation and financing national development.

Also speaking, Tax Controller, MDA Tax Office, FCT-IRS, Fatima Abubakar, urged MDAs and taxpayers to comply with the provisions of the 2025 Nigerian Tax Reform Acts to avoid penalties.

She explained that the sensitization focused on the provisions of the Nigerian Tax Administration Act (NTAA) 2025 and other new tax reform laws, including tax registration, filing of returns, assessments and issuance of tax clearance certificates.

Abubakar stressed that every taxable individual, business and government institution must obtain a taxpayer identification number (TIN) and comply with tax obligations under the new legal framework, noting that proper understanding of the jurisdiction of tax authorities would also help prevent revenue losses arising from incorrect remittances.

Abubakar also used the medium to appeal to all MDAs to remit their employers deduction promptly, and warned that the tax authority has the right to automatically register and generate TIN for taxable persons with their NIN.

According to her, with the new tax reform, apart from taxes from salary, all tax payers and individuals are expected to pay taxes on every benefits, allowances being enjoyed from the office.

” All benefits in kind and cash are taxable because they are perks of the office, e.g 5% of the value of official car, and one hundred thousand naira fine for incomplete tax filing in the first month, and fifty thousand naira for subsequent months “

She also stressed the need for agencies awarding contract to vendors to request for their tax clearance certificate,TCC before awarding the contract, or be prepared to pay five million naira fine.

One of the participants an Manager in charge of Tax at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Mohammed Ali, commended the FCT-IRS for organizing the stakeholder engagement, describing it as a commendable initiative that would strengthen collaboration between the tax authority and taxpayers.

According to him, the engagement would boost stakeholders’ confidence and promote transparency in the discharge of the Service’s responsibilities.

“I think it’s worthwhile. I think it’s very important, and we really appreciate the tax authority for organizing such an engagement. I think it will boost stakeholders’ confidence as well as that shows a lot of level of transparency in the discharge of their functions,”

By Tambaya Julius, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has named one of Nigeria’s top-performing government agencies in trade facilitation, according to the 2025 Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Compliance Assessment released by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) on Friday, 3 July 2026.

PEBEC Director-General Zahrah Audu said; NCS met all prescribed compliance standards and showed marked improvement in the speed and responsiveness of its trade-related services, ranking it among the highest-performing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) evaluated.

“Nigeria Customs Service stood out by meeting all the required standards while recording notable improvements in the timeliness and efficiency of its response to trade-related matters,” Audu said, adding that the performance reflects a more transparent and business-friendly trading environment.

Audu credited the outcome to NCS’s sustained focus on operational efficiency and stakeholder experience, calling it consistent with the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business agenda.

She also disclosed that 98 percent of the 69 MDAs assessed under the Business Facilitation Act are now meeting expected service delivery standards, a figure she cited as evidence that reforms under the Act are improving government service delivery nationwide.

The recognition follows several reforms NCS has rolled out to modernise customs administration, including the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, and the Advance Ruling System.

The initiatives have simplified import and export procedures, cut cargo clearance delays, and improved transparency in customs operations.

 The National Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) has described as a patriotic initiative,  Federal Government’s proposal to replace the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Khaki uniform with a locally-produced fabric.

The Chairman of Board of Trustees of NAPTAN, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, said on Sunday in Lagos that the initiative would promote industrial development, cultural identity and economic growth.

Ogunbanjo said that replacing the Khaki with an indigenous fabric would empower local producers, create employment opportunities, encourage local content development and foster national unity.

“We, NAPTAN, are in full support of the plan.  It is a good idea.

The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Lagos State Elders Forum, described the proposed reforms of the NYSC as holistic, far-reaching and commendable.

The Chairman, Tunde Bejide, said that the reforms were beyond uniforms and extended to leadership development, career advancement and entrepreneurship education for young Nigerians.

Bejide said that replacing corps members’ Khaki uniform with a locally-produced fabric would symbolise transition from military-style traditions to a more civilian-oriented leadership culture. 

He added that sourcing the material locally would strengthen indigenous industries, boost economic activities, promote Nigeria’s cultural heritage and encourage professionalism.

An undergraduate, Chioma Okebugwu, said that replacing the Khaki with a locally-produced fabric would promote indigenous industries and cultural heritage.

According to her, using a locally-made fabric for corps members’ uniform is laudable and economically beneficial, but must preserve NYSC’s enduring identity, practicality and spirit of unity.

However,  a retired Director of Information and Public Relations at the NYSC, Eddy Megwa, urged caution on the proposal, saying that Khaki had given the scheme an identity.

Megwa, a former Lagos State Coordinator of  NYSC, said that Khaki had also proven to be suitable for the rigours of national service.

He advised that reforms should preserve the NYSC’s traditions and unifying values.

A lawyer, Okeke Onyekachukwu, said that the Khaki uniform conveyed discipline, patriotism and the recognition attached to NYSC.

Onyekachukwu said that replacing Khaki could diminish its emotional appeal among prospective corps members.

He also said that preserving military traditions through the Khaki uniform  would  prepare youths better  for contemporary security realities.

A teacher, Adesegun Akinsanya, said any decision about  corps members’ uniform must prioritise their comfort, have public acceptance and reflect Nigeria’s rich cultural and creative heritage.

Recall that the Minister of Youth Development, Olawande  Ayodele,  few  days ago,  said that the Federal Government was considering replacing corps members’ Khaki uniform with a local fabric.

The minister clarified that the government had not approved replacement of the Khaki uniform with Adire fabric, contrary to widespread reports that followed his appearance on Channels Television.

He explained that although he mentioned both Adire and Ankara during the interview, they were only examples of proposals currently being considered and not an announcement that any particular fabric had been adopted.

According to him, the government is evaluating several options based on factors including professional appearance, national identity, durability, functionality, affordability and promotion of national pride.

“No final decision has been taken on the fabric or design,” he said, adding that any eventual choice would emerge from extensive stakeholder consultations and would be guided by what would best serve the interests of the NYSC and Nigeria.