The Office of the Tax Ombud and stakeholders from the public and private sectors in the North-West have recommitted to addressing taxpayers’ grievances and building trust in tax authorities at a two-day engagement held Sept 28-29, 2026 in Kaduna, with representatives of seven state governments, OPS, business owners and professional bodies.
Tax Ombud/CEO John Nwabueze said the Office is an independent, impartial, non-judicial body offering free mediation of operational and administrative grievances, clarifying: “The Tax Ombud is not a mechanism for cancelling legitimate tax liabilities merely because the taxpayer does not wish to pay… We do not shield taxpayers from their lawful obligations, and we are certainly not the courts.”
Kaduna Governor Uba Sani, represented by Finance Commissioner Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, said improved technology and taxpayer engagement have boosted IGR and urged that Kaduna be made North-West headquarters of the Office, while Sokoto Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, represented by SA Revenue Isah Mu’azu, said the Ombud would deepen trust and IGR.
Acting Kaduna IRS Chairman Muhammad Lawal said the engagement would build trust through transparent processes, NRS representative Falalu Yahya said it would offer relief from slow, costly litigation, while MAN North-West Zonal Chairman Kabir Kassim and ICAN Kaduna Chairman AbdulAzeez Olagunju welcomed the partnership for fairness and growth.
Nwabueze said the engagement included a roadshow across Kaduna metropolis to sensitise taxpayers on rights, responsibilities, and complaint channels, as stakeholders resolved to sustain dialogue and collaboration for a fair, transparent and accountable tax ecosystem.