Human rights lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi has reacted to recent remarks attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu concerning taxation and national development.
In a statement that has sparked debate online, Farotimi argued that government cannot expect citizens to willingly embrace taxation without demonstrating accountability and transparency in the use of public funds.
According to him, demanding taxes from citizens while failing to account for how previous revenues were managed amounts to exploitation.
“The President is speaking about how citizens should not demand development if they’re unwilling to pay tax but he ignored the fact that he cannot demand tax if he’s unwilling to be accountable,” he said.
He further added:
“If you’re not accountable to those you’re taxing, what you can tax is essentially a ransom.”
His comments triggered widespread reactions on X (formerly Twitter), where many Nigerians debated the relationship between taxation, governance, and accountability.
One user wrote:
“If you expect us to pay tax you should also have proven accountability for the previous years.”
Another commented:
“When citizens don’t see transparency, every tax demand starts to feel like extraction rather than development contribution.”
However, some users questioned whether President Tinubu actually made the exact statement being referenced.
“Who has the video where Tinubu said citizens should not demand development if we’re not willing to pay tax?” one user asked.
Others argued that taxation in Nigeria is largely automated and unavoidable.
“People don’t just decide to pay tax, it’s how the system is designed to take out taxes automatically,” another reaction read.
