In its ongoing effort to reach young people and educate them about taxation and its inherent benefits, the Lagos Inland Revenue Service (LIRS), through its Tax Trybe initiative, hosted a debate competition for public secondary schools in the state.

The competition aimed to promote tax culture among young people in Lagos State through the Tax Trybe initiative. The objective of Tax Trybe is to instil in young students the knowledge of taxation and make them future tax ambassadors.

LIRS, in partnership with a leading marketing organisation, DKK, has taken the campaign to schools, educating children on the importance and necessity of tax payment.

The second edition of the Tax Trybe debate competition was held at Immaculate Hearts Senior High School, Maryland, with Ayedere Ajibola Senior High School, Ketu, emerging winner.

The competition, involving 16 schools, aimed to educate young people about taxation and its benefits, with participating schools debating whether “Tax should be encouraged or enforced.”

The event was designed to encourage healthy competition among students, develop their public speaking skills, and promote tax awareness. Speaking on behalf of LIRS, Assistant Director, Lanre Lawal, emphasised the importance of promoting tax culture among young people, citing the reluctance of many Nigerians to pay taxes.

Lawal noted that the initiative is part of the agency’s efforts to catch them young and instil the tax culture, which will benefit the state and the country at large. He said: “The majority of citizens are averse to tax payment, and we want to change this mindset. We are impressed with the students’ performances, and we hope to continue to encourage and educate them on the importance of taxation.”

The Chief Operating Officer of DKK, Bukola Thomas Obikoya, explained that the Tax Trybe initiative is designed to promote tax awareness among young people.

“It is a way of educating young children, particularly secondary school students, about tax. We realised the fact that there was an issue with the adoption of tax with older people. So, we decided that the best way to do this is to make it a point of conversation earlier on, to help dispel the negative thoughts of what Tax Trybe is.

“So, we recruit schools and have tax clubs in the schools. At the end of each year, we do a Tax Trybe debate, where we invite all the clubs to come and debate a chosen topic for or against the initiative. The competition is just one aspect of the initiative, and we plan to expand it to universities and other institutions,” Obikoya stated.

The winners of the competition were Ayedere Ajibola Senior High School, Ketu, who received tablets and N100,000 gift voucher for the teacher; Herbert Macauley Girls Senior High School, Yaba, who received suitcases and N75,000 gift voucher for their teacher; while Ogudu Senior Grammar School, Ogudu, Lagos, received smaller boxes and a N50,000 gift voucher for their teacher.

Students who participated in the competition expressed their appreciation for the opportunity, saying it helped them understand the concept of taxation and its importance.

Nurudeen Tohirah and Oyinlola Inioluwa, both students of Ayedere Ajibola Senior High School, said they would encourage others to pay their taxes and appreciate the initiative.

“I will tell people to be faithful in the payment of their taxes. I’m appreciating Tax Trybe and LIRS for giving us these gifts; it’s a form of motivation for me.”