Lavish Living, Crushing Taxes: Inside Tinubu’s Nigeria Where The Powerful Flaunt Wealth As Citizens Sink Deeper Into Poverty

As President Bola Tinubu’s regime pushes its new tax reforms that would increase poverty, citizens have criticised images and videos of the children and spouses of high-profile political figures flaunting stacks of cash, luxury cars, and opulence.

Earlier this year, Tinubu signed into law a series of taxation bills intended to overhaul Nigeria’s revenue system. Among the changes are increases in value-added tax (VAT), expanded tax bases, and a 5 per cent fossil fuel surcharge, among others.

Critics warn that the tax reforms would hurt ordinary citizens. For many Nigerians, who already struggle with inflation, rising fuel prices, devalued currency, and shrinking purchasing power, the new tax liabilities could be the tipping point. Some opposition voices, including civil society groups, are already calling for revisions, transparency, or even repeal of parts of the law.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in February criticised the Tinubu regime over its flamboyant display of wealth while taxing citizens to death.

With the huge revenue accruing from oil and other natural resources, there has been nothing to show for it, except that government officials live flamboyantly at the expense of the Nigerian people.

“An unaccountable government does not expect the citizenry to take the issue of contributing their hard-earned resources. You cannot tax poverty but wealth. If a government does not contribute or provide the enabling environment for Nigerians to thrive and create wealth, how would they be confident in contributing to the state?” a union official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Vanguard during the tax bill public hearing.

Also, Kingsley Moghalu, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said it is unfair to expect citizens to pay more taxes while questioning the Tinubu regime to account for the revenue generated from oil and the numerous loans it collected.

The profligacy and corruption in what passes for governance in our country, Nigeria, make it unfair to expect citizens to pay any additional taxes. While taxes are an important part of the social contract, the question must first be asked: what have the revenues from oil and the numerous loans we have borrowed been spent on?”

While these questions are pertinent, Nigerians can see that the oil revenues, loans and taxes are being channelled towards funding the lifestyle of government officials and their families.

While Nigerians groan over the increased hardship caused by this regime, a video currently trending on X shows politicians’ children parading huge bundles of cash in both naira and foreign currency. They lounge inside luxury vehicles, count stacks of money, and fan cash toward the camera; all while ordinary citizens are losing sleep over how to put food on the table.

Another viral clip features a group of young men in a single room, surrounded by wads of naira notes. Baskets filled with cash are thrown in; the boys count, laugh, and pose. Many viewers questioned the source of the funds.

These displays have ignited outrage. “This is not even naira o, minted hard currency lying casually around the houses of those demanding more taxes from you,” one @TheAjakeManager said on X. Another handle, @Ayourque, commented, saying, “Finally… People should understand it’s not APC vs PDP. The haves are winning because they keep the haves-not divided by triggering culture war.”

It will be recalled that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, recently allocated thousands of hectares of choice land worth billions of dollars to at least 1 of his children. Wike reportedly seized at least 1,740 hectares of choice land from its original owners under the pretext of “non-compliance” with FCT land regulations, and then allocated the seized land, which had an estimated worth of at least $2.85 billion, to his son Jordan.

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Kangmwa Gofwen

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