Tax ombud a key reform initiative of Tinubu administration – information minister

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has described the Office of the Tax Ombud as a major institutional reform introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to promote fairness, transparency, and accountability in Nigeria’s tax administration system.

Idris made the remarks on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by the leadership of the Office of the Tax Ombud and heads of agencies under the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation in Abuja.

According to the minister, the establishment of the Office of the Tax Ombud reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening trust between taxpayers and tax authorities through mediation and public accountability.

“Tax administration is a very essential component of national development. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu established the Office of the Tax Ombud to ensure fairness, equity, and justice in the administration of taxes in Nigeria,” Idris said.

He explained that the meeting was convened to deepen collaboration between the ministry and the office while increasing public awareness about the agency’s responsibilities and contributions to national development.

“We need to bring awareness to Nigerians about what the Office of the Tax Ombud is supposed to do and the contribution it will make towards national development,” he said.

The minister also noted that tax reform initiatives introduced by the administration initially faced criticism due to what he described as widespread misunderstanding and misinformation.

“When the tax reform initiative was introduced, there was a lot of misunderstanding, misrepresentation, and even outright mischief because many people criticising the reforms had not even seen the documents. That is why public enlightenment is very important,” he stated.