Tax education experts in the oil region have observed low tax content creation in the social media space, especially in Rivers State. This has led to miscommunication and misinformation.
According Amaechi Kelechi Justin, Executive Director of the ‘Community Conciliation and Development Initiative’ and their partners including ‘Tax Justice and Governance Platform’ and ‘Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN)’ who worked with support from the Rivers State Internal Revenue Service (RIRS), time has come to leverage digital content creation for tax literacy in Rivers State and Niger Delta.
Amaechi said the group developed a one-day write-shop on Nigeria Tax Acts, 2025, with the theme; ‘Notwithstanding the transformative tax legislation (Nigeria Tax Act, 2025), saying there has been controversies, limited information, misinformation, outright disinformation and low public support for the law from the population.
Tax experts and participants at the Tax Education workshop in PH
Tax experts and participants at the Tax Education workshop in PH
This situation is even made worse by uninformed content creators, influencers, and other social actors in the digital space reeling out inaccurate narratives about Nigeria Tax Acts, 2025.
Against, this backdrop, this project proposes targeted training for content creators, social media influencers, Leadership of Students Tax Clubs, and other social actors in the digital economy.
The ‘write-shop’ which was held at Patrick Nagbaanton hall of the SDN office sought to strengthen participant capacity and deepen knowledge and understanding of core provisions of Nigeria Tax Acts, 2025, with focus on the digital economy; digital storytelling to promote tax literacy, voluntary compliance and accountability; promote ethical, accurate and simplified tax communication on social media platforms; and increase youth and informal sectors engagement in tax education conversations.
Tax experts that graced the workshop included Fyneface Tamuno-Opubo (Director of Information Technology) of the RIRS; Victoria Okokon, a chartered fellow and immediate past state chairman of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), and many others. Social media practitioners and influencers as well as those in the virtual asset segment said they were eager to learn right and act right.
Speaking, Tamuno-Opubo said there is need to leverage on digital tools to achieve tax education, but that ignorance drives people away from tax matters and from self-compliance. He said most people will likely pay if they understood tax matters and know what to pay.
He explained that the RIRS under the present executive chairman (Israel Egbunefu), has adopted a new strategy to win support for taxes. He said they now use: ‘Do you know what to pay? Instead of saying, you are guilty, you must pay, now.’
He went on to say they have moved from ‘Revenue Collection to Revenue Relationship; from Assess, Collect/Enforce, now to Educate, Engage, Comply, Collect.’
He said there is need to look at the new tax law again. He advised taxpayers to pay, warning the powers of the tax master are huge.
On challenges, he admitted that some persons were finding it difficult to log in and transact, saying: ‘If your number or email changes, your registration attempt will not work.’
On migration of states to the national platform, he said Rivers did it in February/March 2026, those there are murmurs about Rivers State not yet integrated.
He said: ‘Our front desk can handle anything you can’t handle online, but its user friendly. What is important is: know what to pay, don’t be tired.
‘Virtual Asset Service Providers must register for tax and pay, else, N10m penalty awaits them. Doing business with an unregistered organization attracts N5m penalty.’
He concluded by that the future of tax administration is digital. ‘But digital tax administration cannot succeed simply because government has built a portal. A digital tax system is only as effective as the taxpayer’s ability and willingness to use it. That is why tax literacy must become an essential component of our digital transformation agenda.’
He said Rivers State has already taken significant steps toward digital tax administration through RIVTAMIS, providing taxpayers with online access to tax registration, payments, tax clearance and other services.
‘The opportunity before us now is to build a digital bridge between the tax law, the tax authority and the taxpayer. Digital content can build that bridge. A 30-second video can answer a question that might otherwise require a taxpayer to visit an office. An infographic can simplify a complicated procedure. A WhatsApp message can prevent a missed deadline. A webinar can educate hundreds of businesses simultaneously. An online tutorial can empower thousands of taxpayers to use RIVTAMIS independently. And a well-designed digital campaign can transform the public perception.’
Delivering her deep-rooted presentation, Victoria Okokon, the resource person and tax strategist, ran an overview of the new tax regime.
She made it clear that tax education takes time and showed why content creators must get into tax publicity especially on social media. ‘They have wide reach and can help spread the correct messaging on taxes.’
She dwelt on key tax principles such as; Tax can only be from income; different hustles, different taxes; glimpse of tax map is important; and use your NIN to get your TIN; integration is going on; get receipt if they deduct the 5% from you, etc.’
She said such deduction is an advanced payment of your upfront tax. ‘People sometimes pay penalties even when their tax obligation is zero. Its failure to file.’
She warned that tax would catch one some day. She said four tax laws were signed at once from over 50 laws. She mentioned the broad tax laws as: Tax laws; Tax Administration; Revenue Service law; and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Act.
The expert went on: ‘There are some regulations that add up such as ‘Deduction’ or ‘Withholding Tax’ known as ‘Deduction at Source Law’. She harped on two regulations: Deduction of Tax at Source: Presumptive Tax Law (which touches everybody. She warned that one must register in your state of residence. You can obtain certificate of exemption.
She mentioned SME earning less than N2m per annum which are exempted but that they must register to enjoy exemption, else, they pay double.
On ‘Personal Income Tax Law’ (PIT Law), she said it is important because even if one had zero tax to pay, the person has duty or responsibility to file, else, penalty.
She went on Enterprise, saying: ‘You fall under Personal Income Tax category. Watch your VAT and always pay.’
Many wanted to know why Rivers State has not adopted the ‘Harmonised State and LG Taxes’. They replied saying it must be adopted. ‘Even states that have adopted are silent. Virtual business practitioners’ platform will report you, so file. There is a responsibility to file.’
Expanding the tax narrative:
Amaechi (convener and the Executive Director of Community Consultation and Development Initiative), and also the Rivers State Coordinator of Tax Justice and Governance Platform, in an interview, said: ‘We brought together content creators, social media influencers, and other social actors in the digital economy space to train them on how to leverage on content creation in advancing tax literacy in Nigeria, and Rivers State in particular.
‘So what we’re doing is to educate the content creators, and to also make them understand that they are also responsible for tax payment. This is because the notion out there is that because they don’t have physical offices, they don’t do physical businesses, they aren’t supposed to pay taxes.’
But today, he went on: ‘I think they’ve come to the realization that whether you have a physical office or you have a virtual office or you do digital businesses, that the Nigerian tax act 2025 covers you, that and also hold you responsible in terms of your tax obligations. So, we’re trying to expand the tax net and to get more people to promote an inclusive tax ecosystem so citizens become more responsive and more responsible to their tax obligations.’
He admitted that people on social media, especially Facebook, tend to play with whatever information that is put out. They see everything as a joke or fun. So when tax matters come into their hands, they look for the funny part of it that may attract attention, that will be against the tax authorities.
‘That is part of what the workshop seeks to address. If you go on social media, you’ll find out that there has been a lot of misinformation and disinformation around taxes. Whether the tax is excess, whether it is multiple, whether it is illegal. People, as content creators, in a bid to either make money or just create fun, have, unintendedly disseminated fake information that is injurious to Nigerians, and injurious to Nigeria, too.
‘Once people begin to believe this is fake news, it becomes a disincentive to paying tax. So we want to counter that narrative not because we think all the aspects of the new tax act is okay, but that people should try and study it. We’re saying go and look at it, understand it so you know what your obligations are.
‘So, we want more people to pay tax because we need taxpayers to pay their taxes so that they can have social services: schools, healthcare, security, road, etc.’