The Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Dr Ayodele Subair, has said that the policies introduced by President Bola Tinubu during his tenure as Lagos governor are responsible for the state’s significant growth in internally generated revenue and tax administration. 

Mr Subair disclosed this at a Gala night marking the closure of the 159th meeting of the Joint Revenue Board (JRB) held in Lagos from April 20 to 23.

The four-day event, attended by tax administrators and revenue stakeholders from across the country, discussed ways to strengthen tax systems, improve compliance, and deepen revenue generation nationwide.

According to Mr Subai, Mr Tinubu’s decision to grant operational autonomy to the LIRS many years ago laid the foundation for what has since become a model for several states in Nigeria.

Mr Subair said, “This story of taxation in Lagos was started seriously by our present President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who deemed it fit to give autonomy to the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service. From then on, things changed. Things are still evolving and changing because he handed over the baton to very serious governors thereafter.

“His model is copied in most of the states in Nigeria. I think the President deserves applause. We are seeing the benefits of that vision that this great Nigerian had, and we all pledge to continue.”

He noted that Lagos State has sustained momentum across successive administrations, with visible investments in transportation, urban renewal, and other public infrastructure, funded largely by residents’ taxes.

The LIRS chief also commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for delivering what he described as a robust infrastructural development. 

 “Governor Sanwo-Olu is doing a great job. This administration is building the multimodal transport system, as witnessed by the JRB members. Apart from the rail, you also have road transport through the BRT, and then we have the ferry service,” Mr Subair said.

“We launched all sorts of projects, and we are soon going to have electric ferries and boats that will move people all over. Also, the Red Line is supposed to be fully in place within one year,” he added.

He, however, noted that the Infrastructural development in Lagos would never have been possible without the payment of taxes by Lagos residents. 

“When you pay your taxes, there is a high level of correlation between the payment of taxes and development,” he said. 

“In other countries, people pay a lot of taxes, some up to 50 to 60 per cent of their earnings, and it is a way of life for them. In Nigeria, they are trying, but the benefits of paying taxes can only come when everybody plays their own part.”

Mr Subair added that voluntary compliance in Lagos has continued to rise because taxpayers could clearly see how their contributions were being utilised.

 “In Lagos, especially, tax compliance is moving at a much higher pace than that of the rest of the country. That is because people can see where their money is going. You can see the good projects that are coming. You can see the good works of the government of Lagos,” he added. 

The Joint Revenue Board (JRB) was formerly known as the Joint Tax Board (JTB) and comprises the executive chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service and the chairmen of the Internal Revenue Service in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

It also comprises representatives of the Federal Ministry of Finance, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Immigration Service, and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).