Information minister seeks public awareness on roles of Nigeria’s tax ombudsman

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, has urged the Office of the Tax Ombudsman to create more awareness for Nigerians to understand its roles in the nation’s tax sector.

Idris gave the advice on Monday at the unveiling of the Official Website, Launching of a Toll Free Call Centre and Case Management System in Abuja.

The minister said he didn’t really understand the roles of the Office of the Tax Ombudsman until when the ombudsman, Dr John Nwabueze, paid him a courtesy visit a week ago.

“And I told him that he needs to ensure that there is more public awareness so that Nigerians will get to understand what his roles are.

“This is imperative especially at the time that President Bola Tinubu has embarked on enormous reforms to reposition this country on a path to sustainable progress and development.

“It is important for all of us to know what these reforms entail and which direction they are going. Already, we have seen, as the President has highlighted, there is actually light at the end of the tunnel.”

The minister, who said the nation’s economy had indeed turned the corner, added that for the first time in more than 30 years, the revenue that Nigeria has overseas has crossed the 50 billion dollars mark.

“Our GDP is on the rise. Headline inflation and food inflation is beating even the administration’s own expectations really very low.”

The minister said while the President was addressing people in Kigali, he revealed that over 20 billion dollars foreign direct investment would be coming to the country.

He emphasised the need for Nigerians to support the President’s reform agenda, to give it more time for it to come to fruition.

According to him, Nigerians should also ensure that all hands are on deck towards the right footing of the economy of this country.

In his remarks, Nigeria’s tax Ombudsman, Dr John Nwabueze, said globally, modern tax systems are anchored not only on efficient revenue mobilisation, but also on fairness, accessibility, dispute resolution, and public trust.

Nwabueze said the Office of the Tax Ombud was therefore created as an independent and impartial institution to provide taxpayers with accessible, timely, cost-effective mechanisms for addressing complaints, resolving disputes, and promoting voluntary tax compliance.

According to him, our mandate is to serve as a trusted bridge between taxpayers and revenue authorities through mediation, consultation, stakeholder engagement, and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms that reduce the burden of prolonged litigation and enhance institutional efficiency.

“Today is more than a technology launch. It is activation of a new public service architecture designed around accessibility, responsiveness, and citizens’ confidence.

“The digital platforms being unveiled today will significantly improve the taxpayer experience by enabling citizens, individuals, businesses, and stakeholders to efficiently and effectively engage digitally on their phones with the organisation.”

According to the tax ombudsman, this initiative will launch complaints seamlessly both via online and on the phone. It will track the status of cases in real time and assess taxpayer information and guidance easily.

He said that the platforms would also engage directly with trained support personnel through the tax ombud’s call centre, receiving timely, transparent, professional dispute resolution and mediation services.

According to him, these platforms reflect global best practices in digital public service delivery and reinforce our commitment to institutional innovation, service excellence, and data-driven governance.

“Importantly, this initiative also advances the broader objectives of Nigeria’s ongoing fiscal and tax reforms by strengthening public trust and deepening the social contracts between government and citizens.

“We recognise, however, that institutional trust must be continuously earned through transparency, consistency, stakeholder engagement, and effective communication.

“This is why we are calling on the media, civil service organisations, professional bodies, and all strategic partners to collaborate with us in expanding taxpayer education and public awareness across the country,” Nwabueze said.