Why Nigerians must prioritise tax payment — Expert

A development expert, Micheal Ale has stressed the need for Nigerians to prioritise adequate payment of taxes as solution to the problems of shortage of social infrastructures and lack of growth and development.

Ale also has urged Tinubu President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently introduce leadership training courses in schools for Nigerian youths so that the country’s future would be brighter with better leaders.

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He made these remarks in a statement made available to journalists in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital on Friday in commemoration of this year’s Democracy Day.

Ale, who lauded President Tinubu ‘s initiative in ensuring that there was immense funding for his administration with the removal of the fuel subsidy, urged the President to continue to prioritise the welfare of the people as well as provide an enabling environment for all to thrive.

He equally urged citizens to pay their taxes so that there would be sufficient funds for government at all levels to provide social infrastructures and other dividends of democracy.

He said this is an obligation the people must fulfill first and then challenge their Representatives at all levels of government to deliver dividends of democracy.

He said: “Payment of tax will ensure that the government has the wherewithal to lead properly and provide social infrastructures needed by the masses for growth and development. If a local government chairman is given the autonomy to concentrate on managing the resources within his local area and the people in that locality pay their taxes as at when due. The chairman would have enough resources to provide social infrastructure for the people.

“This is what happened largely in Lagos where you could see the budget of a single LGA outweighing more than that of a state in Nigeria.“

Speaking on exemplary leadership, Ale said: ” Without the adequate provision of infrastructures there is no government. You would notice that President Tinubu began his administration on a note of ensuring that there was enough money to run his government. He removed the fuel subsidy and that allows for enough funds available for managing his government.

“The Federal allocations are not very huge for each state and you don’t see our governors going into unnecessary wars with one another. The era of using a governor to fight another is over now. Everyone of them concentrates on how to manage the huge resources coming to his states properly and ensure good government and peaceful co-existence.“

Ale tasked government with providing a more enabling environment, saying, “Actually, we now have the money but the pertinent question to urgently ask is, has this huge money translated to meaningful growth and progress for the people? Do we make children enjoy a good education at a very low rate, give the LM social infrastructures, and more importantly employment? What is paramount for any government of any nation to do for its citizens is to provide an enabling environment for them to thrive in all ramifications. Enabling environment to do business and grow healthily, enabling the environment to get massive employment, etc. This is what the government in the white man’s land does that makes things work. We who are into entrepreneurship and provide jobs, do we have an enabling environment to do such business without fear that policy inadequacies may disrupt our businesses?

“In abroad for example, people there are made to pay taxes on virtually every utility to enjoy these utilities and there is a level playing ground for all to participate in the socio-economic activities of their countries. There is massive and adequate provision of social infrastructures, food, security, and jobs, and that makes things easy for all and allows progress to thrive.

“Over there, leaders do not lionise themselves over the structures or their people. You hardly could identify who is at the helm of affairs because the system works. Unlike here, where our leaders are more popular than the social infrastructures they ought to provide for the benefit of the people.

“I admire our dear governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State because he is a leader who has what it takes to turn things around. What he is concentrating on now is sustaining the legacies he had built for the growth and development of the state. This is possible because he has built enduring legacies in terms of developing Oyo State so he is sustaining those legacies now. Sometimes, l like to advise other governors to come and learn how to properly develop their states from Gov. Makinde. Unemployment is a huge challenge in this country and the government must urgently tackle it.”

Ale, who is a development expert, advised the Nigerian government to provide leadership training for the youths to ensure the Nation has a better future.

“I also want to advise the government to provide compulsory leadership training for our youths today, this idea came out of a dream I had today. We must ensure that our youths of today are properly trained in leadership so that they would lead alright when they eventually take over from the present crop of leaders. This to me, is the only way our future can be brighter. We can solve all our problems with good governance. Insecurity and poor economy, all these could be tackled with good governance.“