The Oba of Lagos, His Royal Majesty, Oba Rilwan Aremu Akiolu, has commended the Federal Government’s new taxation reforms, describing them as a bold and necessary step towards repositioning Nigeria for sustainable development and economic growth.

Speaking after a cultural procession marking the end of the 2025 Adamu Orisa Festival, held at his Iga Iduganran palace, the monarch said the reforms would move the country forward if properly understood and implemented, stressing that much of the resistance being witnessed was driven by misinformation.

Quoting both the Bible and the Qur’an, Oba Akiolu urged Nigerians to embrace civic responsibility, particularly in the area of taxation.

“As the Bible says, ‘Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and give unto the Lord what is the Lord’s.’ The Qur’an also teaches the same principle.

Paying tax is a duty to God and to the nation,” he said. The revered traditional ruler disclosed that he had long advocated reforms in Nigeria’s tax collection system, describing the old structure as ineffective and outdated.

“Over 20 years ago, I told members of the National Assembly that our tax system was not right. About three years ago, I personally paid over N30 million in personal company tax.

What the Federal Government has done now is what will take this country forward,” he stated. While praising the reforms, Oba Akiolu called on the Federal Government to strengthen transparency and accountability, especially in the allocation and utilisation of public funds.

He urged that monthly allocations to states and local governments should be publicly disclosed, adding that states and councils must also reveal the contracts they award and the contractors handling them.

“The Federal Government should disclose what is allocated to the states and local governments every month. The states and local governments should, in turn, disclose the contracts they have awarded and the jobs to be done so that right-thinking Nigerians can monitor what is going on,” he said.

The Oba expressed concern over governance at the grassroots, lamenting what he described as the humiliation and inefficiency of many local government chairmen.

He also questioned the effectiveness of palliative distributions, particularly in terms of food and drugs, urging authorities to ensure quality and proper monitoring.