Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of Nigeria’s Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, has urged employers and individual taxpayers across the country to submit their annual tax returns on time, stressing that filing is a legal duty, not a choice.
Oyedele, who leads the federal government committee driving tax policy and reform proposals in Nigeria, an African country with one of the world’s largest populations, spoke during an online webinar held for workplace and finance professionals. The session, organised in collaboration with the Joint Revenue Board, was targeted at human resources (HR) managers, payroll officers, chief financial officers (CFOs) and tax managers. The webinar recording was later posted on YouTube on Friday, 30 January 2026. Okay News reports.
He said many employers already file returns for their employees every year, but warned that those who have not done so are running out of time. “In terms of filing returns, you need to file annual returns as employers for your employees. Many of you must have done that already. If you have not, you have just a couple of days left to file those returns, including projections of how much you will pay your staff,” he said.
Oyedele also pointed to weak compliance among individuals who should file self-assessment returns, saying this remains one of the biggest gaps in Nigeria’s tax system. “This is one area where we have been non-compliant in Nigeria. In many states, more than 90% even the most sophisticated states cannot boast of 5% filing returns,” he said.
He explained that employees should not assume their tax duties end simply because their employer deducts tax from their salaries. According to him, both the old and new tax laws still require employees to file returns. “Many people assume that if they are an employee and the employer has deducted pay, they do not have to do anything. That is wrong. Both under the old and new tax laws, you must still file your returns,” he said.
Oyedele added that tax agencies are working to make the filing process easier, mentioning the Joint Revenue Board and state internal revenue services as key institutions involved. He said all taxpayers, including low income earners, are expected to comply with annual filing requirements, adding that returns for the previous fiscal year must be filed by Tuesday, 31 March 2026.
He also said the reforms now require businesses benefiting from incentives to declare them when submitting returns. Oyedele explained that under the new tax law, enterprises that enjoy special tax incentives have an obligation to disclose those incentives either when filing their tax returns or shortly after, as part of a new disclosure requirement.
