The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Mowe-Arepo District Society, alongside state and Federal revenue officials, took its 2026 Tax Awareness Day campaign directly to the grassroots marketplaces of Ogun State on Thursday.

The sensitisation drive, held under the national theme, “Tax Awareness for National Growth: Reform and Shared Prosperity,” featured an advocacy walk that kicked off at the Conoil Filling Station in Magboro, moving through prominent community engagement hubs, including the Magboro Market, WiseBuyers Supermarket and the palace of Olu of Magboro, Oba Ademuyiwa Alalaade.

The move was a coordinated effort to demystify recent national fiscal updates and bridge the trust gap between the government and the informal sector.

Addressing the small-scale entrepreneurs, the Director of Tax Operations for the Ogun State Internal Revenue Service, Oladele Zaka, emphasised that the exercise was specifically designed to strip away the historical anxiety surrounding tax collection.

Zaka stated, “The benefit is to create awareness, just as the CITN put it, not only for tax officers or tax administrators, but also for taxpayers and tax agents. By coming directly to this market, we have been able to sensitise them on their roles regarding taxes.

“We need to carry them along because they are the people at the grassroots level. Many of them are afraid. Whenever they see tax officers, they get scared, and some quickly lock up their shops. We need to tell them that we are their friends. We are only here because they are here, and they need to be our partners in progress.”

Also speaking, the 3rd Chairman of the CITN Mowe-Arepo & District Society, Rotimi Adebekun, pointed out that the day marked a major administrative milestone.

“Today is specifically designed to commemorate the signing of the tax bills that were signed last year by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We want to create awareness. Most people, especially at the grassroots level, are not familiar with what is really happening,” Adebekun explained.

He added, “We are here with publicity to sensitise them that paying tax is for national growth. There are three basic pillars involved: Reform, to tell them about the ongoing tax reforms; Voluntary Payment, encouraging voluntary payment of their taxes; and Benefits, highlighting the progress and benefits that follow after paying taxes.”

A major focal point of the engagement was educating the market community on the significant structural changes introduced in the updated fiscal frameworks, notably the absolute protection given to micro-businesses.

A Tax Manager for the National Revenue Service in Ogun State, Funmilola Ogundipe, walked the traders through the practical realities of the system, underscoring that the new policies shifted the financial weight away from struggling small-scale earners.

“There are a lot of differences and many incentives regarding this new tax reform. Unlike before, where everyone had to pay tax, this reform explicitly exempts low-income earners, specifically those earning below N800,000,” Ogundipe revealed.

“People used to be afraid of paying taxes, but the new tax law is designed to exempt the poor and tax the rich, ensuring that as you earn higher, you pay higher. The goal is to encourage small taxpayers and the informal sector to grow. Once they reach a certain threshold where they are stable and fit to pay tax, they can do so willingly and conveniently”, she added.

Ogundipe further explained that modernity and systemic integration were fast replacing stressful bureaucratic checks, urging traders to adopt simple record-keeping habits.

She continued, “Furthermore, this new tax law introduces immense convenience. You can pay from anywhere using digital platforms like Taxpro-Max (e-tax). It operates on a self-assessment basis, meaning you assess your own income and pay what is fairly due.

“First, I strongly advise small taxpayers and those in the informal sector to keep proper books of records. It is only through proper record-keeping that we can officially ascertain whether your income falls below the tax threshold. On the administrative side, tax authorities will soon be able to verify details through integrated systems linking the National Identification Number and banking records.”

While the information regarding zero-tax brackets was welcomed by the market leadership, the trading community voiced deep-seated concerns over accountability. For many local vendors, the metric of a successful tax policy was directly linked to the upgrading of visible market infrastructure.

Emmanuel, a prominent food items seller at Magboro market, popularly recognised as ‘Baba Ibo’, challenged the government to meet the people halfway through tangible community development.

“The Federal Government should make the tax payment easy for us and also use the revenue to build, upgrade infrastructure and improve the lives of the people,” Emmanuel urged.

Echoing this perspective, Balogun Juliet, an educated food items seller in the same market, highlighted that standard market infrastructure had long been funded entirely out of the pockets of the individual traders rather than state allocations.

Juliet asked, “Well, as an educated person, I know about tax. One thing I see is that tax is welcome everywhere. But another thing is, as we are paying this tax, are they going to provide the other social amenities that we need?

“Most especially, there are certain things that we still need in the market. Like most of the shops, you can see that they are containers we built ourselves. We spend most of our money doing everything all by ourselves. So, as the government is bringing the tax to the market, I hope it’s not going to be something that will negatively affect us in the end of the day. I would just advise that the tax we are paying should be utilised in the markets to grow them, and to provide electricity and good resources for us.”

In a final appeal to middle and high-income business owners within the district, the NRS representative, Ogundipe, concluded by noting that the era of relying entirely on depleting natural resources was over.

“As we all know, taxation has become the major source of revenue for the federal government. For those whose earnings are above the exemption threshold, please pay your taxes diligently to help the economy. We need to support the government so they can achieve their purpose of providing infrastructure and other essential services for the citizens,” she said.