President Bola Tinubu set off a storm of chatter after he reworded citizenship at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda. He told the audience that taxes are key to being a Nigerian.
“Tax is a priority. A citizen who pays taxes, whether corporate or individual, is a citizen. If you are not a taxpayer and not exempted, then you are not a citizen.”
Tinubu has pushed hard on tax since taking office in 2023. His tax reform bill clashed with state governors until they reached a compromise. The bill became law and took effect in 2026.
Unsurprisingly, Nigerians fired back on social media. Sadeeq slammed the idea, pointing to widespread hardship:
“Paying tax defines citizenship? Tinubu and his team clearly don’t know what they’re doing. How do you define citizenship by tax when millions are struggling to eat, with no jobs, no power, and an economy in free fall? You’re taxing poverty, not building a nation. This is clueless leadership.”
Emeka Ezeanya mocked the remark as a subscription plan:
“President Tinubu just redefined citizenship like it’s a subscription plan: ‘Pay tax or you’re not a real Naija!’. Oga, with no power, high cost of fuel and bad roads, most citizens are already paying the highest tax, survival taxi. Abeg, deliver value first before collecting the ‘citizen fee'”
Clement and Ishaqq also weighed in, with Clement warning about drained purchasing power and Ishaqq calling rights “premium features” under a pay-to-play model:
“You tax citizens who have drained their economic prowess with your inordinate policies. You expect to tax people who you can’t make have purchasing power. How can they be paying for what you are not giving them? Man is too poor upstairs abeg.”
“So, citizenship is now on a subscription plan? If tax is the only entry ticket, then half the country just got ‘guest access’ to their own nation. By that logic, rights are no longer inherent; they’re premium features unlocked after payment confirmation. Interesting.”
