₦airaland Forum

Princedapace:
I was battling with network issues recently, and it reminded me how difficult it has become to survive here. There is no stable electricity. Most of us survive on generators.

South Africa achieved significant progress in electricity within two years, yet after four years, nothing meaningful has changed here. It is still the same story and the same daily struggle.

Now, remove emotions for a moment and look at the reality:

A kilogram of gas is about ₦1,400. That is extremely high for a country with very low salaries.
A crate of eggs is between ₦5,500 and ₦6,000.
A bag of cement is around ₦12,000. This is one of the reasons house rent has skyrocketed, because many citizens can no longer afford to build homes.
Renting a 2-bedroom apartment in most state capitals now starts from about ₦2.5 million and above. That is insane for a country where the majority of citizens are struggling financially.
Fuel is around ₦1,400 per litre.

Fuel powers our generators. If you run two businesses, you may need two generators.

For someone like me who works online, I need electricity almost 24/7. A huge part of my income goes into fueling and servicing generators because, most nights, my generator runs till morning. I work with clients across different time zones, sometimes at 2AM.

What does all of this mean?

Our purchasing power has dropped drastically.

Yet, despite these realities, the tax burden keeps increasing.

I honestly want to ask: does the government truly understand what Nigerians are going through?

Even someone earning ₦25m–₦30m yearly in today’s Nigeria is not necessarily living comfortably. A large percentage of that income already goes into solving basic social problems and surviving.

You pay for:

Electricity
Security
Healthcare
Transportation
Water
Education

Everything.

So where exactly is the money left to pay huge taxes from?

How many Nigerians can genuinely save millions yearly after handling all their responsibilities as parents, children, and providers?

To survive, many people are already being forced to reduce their quality of life:

Cutting down electricity usage despite terrible heat
Moving children from good schools
Switching from bottled water to sachet water
Selling better cars for cheaper alternatives because of fuel costs
Cancelling vacations and basic comfort

The painful part is that many self-employed Nigerians hustle endlessly just to stay afloat, yet at the end of the year, they are still expected to pay heavy taxes.

One of my friends, despite earning what many would call “good money,” is already in debt because of school fees and living expenses. Yet, government expectations are based only on income figures, not the harsh realities behind those figures.

And remember, this is a country where many parents depend on their children financially just to survive.

Honestly, many leaders cannot relate to what ordinary Nigerians are facing because:

Their electricity is sorted
Their security is sorted
Their healthcare is sorted
Their feeding is sorted

So they may never truly feel the pain of the average citizen.

Dear Nigerian leaders, Nigerians are suffering.

We are exhausted.

What could be done differently?

Reduce excessive tax burdens. Maybe 3 percent for now. Please, this country is poor or increase the threshold to maybe 50m per year if you truly wants to target the rich for income tax.
Fix electricity.
Tackle corruption seriously.
Improve security so farmers can return to farms safely.
Support the tech economy so more young people can earn online.
Invest in skills and digital opportunities.
Cut down excessive government spending and luxury packages for politicians.

Nigeria is a poor country with multidimensional poverty. In many homes, one working person carries the burden of an entire extended family.

Tax should not be the first priority when citizens are already struggling to survive.

As I write this now, my area is in complete darkness again. Families will spend heavily on fuel tonight just to have light for a few hours.

So I ask again: after paying for survival, where exactly should the tax money come from?

We are tired.

The bills are too much.

please can someone push this to front page?

I want to understand why the sacrfice must be done by the suffering masses instead of the politicians. I am curios to know why. Why must I suffer what I didn't cause?

Tenses:
Half reason they no fit give.

You go hear nefund, coastal road, tax law like what the fxxk is wrong with these people.

Tenses:
See the only man that will put Nigeria back to her glory days is Peter Obi. Any other person currently in our political space is clowning.

Man has built, he has governed and he came out clean.

We can afford to miss this chance. We can afford.

SixSeven:
You don't pay enough taxes for development. That's why.

LordBiden:
Even the coastal road I think only about 35km has been completed,if tinubu doesn't win that means it becomes another abandoned project.

Umahi will then pocket the remaining billions for the road

Counterigbolies:
so u want to pretend that students ain't enjoying nelfund right?

See that your agulu packaged fraud will never b president n tinubu will rule u for good 8 years

BrickandLace:
There is no reason.

Anyone who wishes to deceive themselves is free to.

There is no reason.

Princedapace:
I was battling with network issues recently, and it reminded me how difficult it has become to survive here. There is no stable electricity. Most of us survive on generators.

South Africa achieved significant progress in electricity within two years, yet after four years, nothing meaningful has changed here. It is still the same story and the same daily struggle.

Now, remove emotions for a moment and look at the reality:

A kilogram of gas is about ₦1,400. That is extremely high for a country with very low salaries.
A crate of eggs is between ₦5,500 and ₦6,000.
A bag of cement is around ₦12,000. This is one of the reasons house rent has skyrocketed, because many citizens can no longer afford to build homes.
Renting a 2-bedroom apartment in most state capitals now starts from about ₦2.5 million and above. That is insane for a country where the majority of citizens are struggling financially.
Fuel is around ₦1,400 per litre.

Fuel powers our generators. If you run two businesses, you may need two generators.

For someone like me who works online, I need electricity almost 24/7. A huge part of my income goes into fueling and servicing generators because, most nights, my generator runs till morning. I work with clients across different time zones, sometimes at 2AM.

What does all of this mean?

Our purchasing power has dropped drastically.

Yet, despite these realities, the tax burden keeps increasing.

I honestly want to ask: does the government truly understand what Nigerians are going through?

Even someone earning ₦25m–₦30m yearly in today’s Nigeria is not necessarily living comfortably. A large percentage of that income already goes into solving basic social problems and surviving.

You pay for:

Electricity
Security
Healthcare
Transportation
Water
Education

Everything.

So where exactly is the money left to pay huge taxes from?

How many Nigerians can genuinely save millions yearly after handling all their responsibilities as parents, children, and providers?

To survive, many people are already being forced to reduce their quality of life:

Cutting down electricity usage despite terrible heat
Moving children from good schools
Switching from bottled water to sachet water
Selling better cars for cheaper alternatives because of fuel costs
Cancelling vacations and basic comfort

The painful part is that many self-employed Nigerians hustle endlessly just to stay afloat, yet at the end of the year, they are still expected to pay heavy taxes.

One of my friends, despite earning what many would call “good money,” is already in debt because of school fees and living expenses. Yet, government expectations are based only on income figures, not the harsh realities behind those figures.

And remember, this is a country where many parents depend on their children financially just to survive.

Honestly, many leaders cannot relate to what ordinary Nigerians are facing because:

Their electricity is sorted
Their security is sorted
Their healthcare is sorted
Their feeding is sorted

So they may never truly feel the pain of the average citizen.

Dear Nigerian leaders, Nigerians are suffering.

We are exhausted.

What could be done differently?

Reduce excessive tax burdens. Maybe 3 percent for now. Please, this country is poor or increase the threshold to maybe 50m per year if you truly wants to target the rich for income tax.
Fix electricity.
Tackle corruption seriously.
Improve security so farmers can return to farms safely.
Support the tech economy so more young people can earn online.
Invest in skills and digital opportunities.
Cut down excessive government spending and luxury packages for politicians.

Nigeria is a poor country with multidimensional poverty. In many homes, one working person carries the burden of an entire extended family.

Tax should not be the first priority when citizens are already struggling to survive.

As I write this now, my area is in complete darkness again. Families will spend heavily on fuel tonight just to have light for a few hours.

So I ask again: after paying for survival, where exactly should the tax money come from?

We are tired.

The bills are too much.

please can someone push this to front page?

I want to understand why the sacrfice must be done by the suffering masses instead of the politicians. I am curios to know why. Why must I suffer what I didn't cause?

Princedapace:
I was battling with network issues recently, and it reminded me how difficult it has become to survive here. There is no stable electricity. Most of us survive on generators.

South Africa achieved significant progress in electricity within two years, yet after four years, nothing meaningful has changed here. It is still the same story and the same daily struggle.

Now, remove emotions for a moment and look at the reality:

A kilogram of gas is about ₦1,400. That is extremely high for a country with very low salaries.
A crate of eggs is between ₦5,500 and ₦6,000.
A bag of cement is around ₦12,000. This is one of the reasons house rent has skyrocketed, because many citizens can no longer afford to build homes.
Renting a 2-bedroom apartment in most state capitals now starts from about ₦2.5 million and above. That is insane for a country where the majority of citizens are struggling financially.
Fuel is around ₦1,400 per litre.

Fuel powers our generators. If you run two businesses, you may need two generators.

For someone like me who works online, I need electricity almost 24/7. A huge part of my income goes into fueling and servicing generators because, most nights, my generator runs till morning. I work with clients across different time zones, sometimes at 2AM.

What does all of this mean?

Our purchasing power has dropped drastically.

Yet, despite these realities, the tax burden keeps increasing.

I honestly want to ask: does the government truly understand what Nigerians are going through?

Even someone earning ₦25m–₦30m yearly in today’s Nigeria is not necessarily living comfortably. A large percentage of that income already goes into solving basic social problems and surviving.

You pay for:

Electricity
Security
Healthcare
Transportation
Water
Education

Everything.

So where exactly is the money left to pay huge taxes from?

How many Nigerians can genuinely save millions yearly after handling all their responsibilities as parents, children, and providers?

To survive, many people are already being forced to reduce their quality of life:

Cutting down electricity usage despite terrible heat
Moving children from good schools
Switching from bottled water to sachet water
Selling better cars for cheaper alternatives because of fuel costs
Cancelling vacations and basic comfort

The painful part is that many self-employed Nigerians hustle endlessly just to stay afloat, yet at the end of the year, they are still expected to pay heavy taxes.

One of my friends, despite earning what many would call “good money,” is already in debt because of school fees and living expenses. Yet, government expectations are based only on income figures, not the harsh realities behind those figures.

And remember, this is a country where many parents depend on their children financially just to survive.

Honestly, many leaders cannot relate to what ordinary Nigerians are facing because:

Their electricity is sorted
Their security is sorted
Their healthcare is sorted
Their feeding is sorted

So they may never truly feel the pain of the average citizen.

Dear Nigerian leaders, Nigerians are suffering.

We are exhausted.

What could be done differently?

Reduce excessive tax burdens. Maybe 3 percent for now. Please, this country is poor or increase the threshold to maybe 50m per year if you truly wants to target the rich for income tax.
Fix electricity.
Tackle corruption seriously.
Improve security so farmers can return to farms safely.
Support the tech economy so more young people can earn online.
Invest in skills and digital opportunities.
Cut down excessive government spending and luxury packages for politicians.

Nigeria is a poor country with multidimensional poverty. In many homes, one working person carries the burden of an entire extended family.

Tax should not be the first priority when citizens are already struggling to survive.

As I write this now, my area is in complete darkness again. Families will spend heavily on fuel tonight just to have light for a few hours.

So I ask again: after paying for survival, where exactly should the tax money come from?

We are tired.

The bills are too much.

please can someone push this to front page?

I want to understand why the sacrfice must be done by the suffering masses instead of the politicians. I am curios to know why. Why must I suffer what I didn't cause?

Basic123:
Which of Tinubu policies will peter OBI reverse to reduce the hardship.
I will only vote for him if he plan to return paying subsidy and defend naira OR keep those two and make minimum wage 500k with a well planned policy to curb inflation.
He has never promised any,non of them has promised that,why should I vote against Tinubu.
Intelligent people see,when they cry!

Tenses:
Blockage of governance wastage is the solution.

PO has always advocated that he will stop governance wastage and theft. And with his "from consumption to production" policies the burdens of fuel subsidy removal will not be felt.

instead of favouring politicians, PO government will be favourable to the common man.

Once PO is elected the north will be the next goldmine.

Nigerians will be prosperous. ⁶

LordBiden:
The problem of Nigeria is not something any of the incoming candidates can solve infact not even peter obi.
The structure of the country itself won't even allow it to progress.

Current democracy we practicing is too expensive.

What do we even need a bicameral legislature for?
Legislators should be working part time.

We should go back to parliamentary system of government.

We should a create a new constitution with stiffer penalties for corruption.

ibabz:
People like you are the reason these politicians keep staying in office even when they’ve clearly failed to perform or deliver results. If politicians knew they had only one term to prove they truly deserve a second, they would take governance more seriously. But people like you, driven by ethnic bias and religious sentiments, would rather support an underperforming politician just so they can complete an 8-year tenure. With this mindset, it’s hard to see hope for Nigeria, and sometimes I can’t help but question why God placed me in the same part of the world with people who think like you.

Cashio:
Bro, I have two ACs in two rooms plus a standing AC in my parlor plus a fridge and a freezer. Before 2024, these appliances used to run almost 24/7 and it costs me around 3k every five days.
Baba, as at today, If I run those appliances like I used to, it costs me 5k daily. Right now, my parlor AC got spoilt and I was even happy it did so I'll save cost from there. The second AC I have disconnected that one since. My bedroom AC, na off and on I dey do am now. Money wey I dey use sub light alone is more than my annual rent.
Since this year, na only once I don sub DStv. Next will be during world cup.
17k to fill 12.5kg gas.
Before 2024, I used to cook soup and stew with 15k-20k weekly. Right now, na 50k weekly and we still have to squeeze the portioning and the volume of water to ensure it lasts one full week.

Like, bro, I am practically living like a pauper right now. Person wey dey go eatery tow or three times weekly before go chop varieties even as food dey house. Now like this, I dey even dodge to komot with my wife make she nor go see wetin she wan buy.

My head dey pain me bro.

SixSeven:
You don't pay enough taxes for development. That's why.

Counterigbolies:
so u want to pretend that students ain't enjoying nelfund right?

See that your agulu packaged fraud will never b president n tinubu will rule u for good 8 years

Tenses:
Half reason they no fit give.

You go hear nefund, coastal road, tax law like what the fxxk is wrong with these people.

ibabz:
People like you are the reason these politicians keep staying in office even when they’ve clearly failed to perform or deliver results. If politicians knew they had only one term to prove they truly deserve a second, they would take governance more seriously. But people like you, driven by ethnic bias and religious sentiments, would rather support an underperforming politician just so they can complete an 8-year tenure. With this mindset, it’s hard to see hope for Nigeria, and sometimes I can’t help but question why God placed me in the same part of the world with people who think like you.

Basic123:
Which of Tinubu policies will peter OBI reverse to reduce the hardship.
I will only vote for him if he plan to return paying subsidy and defend naira OR keep those two and make minimum wage 500k with a well planned policy to curb inflation.
He has never promised any,non of them has promised that,why should I vote against Tinubu.
Intelligent people see,when they cry!

Obaaderemi2:
Dey deceive yourself. They're all the same. That Obi governed Anambra for 8 years, no be curse Dem dey curse am?
The thing is Tinubu has to go but don't ever believe the next person will be better, especially someone like Obi who is even worse than Tinubu.
As much as I hate them, I still think a northerner can bring down prices of goods by bringing subsidies back in some form. Because the suffering in the north right now is like times ten what we have in the south. I don't think a northerner as president would want to continue with the absence of subsidies.

Princedapace:
There are two things I like about Obi for now: He is known for prudent, which means all these wastefullness he will tackle it.
He believes so much in education. Bro, if we had invested heavily in STEM based education over the years, all these rubbish we produced as citizens would have not happened.
He also believes so much in fixing electricity and production economy. Tinubu is more of a tax master, very terrible. I like Obi's idea about taxation which is like a social contract which should happen after provision of social services. Like borrow to fix electricity, then once electricity is working, tax for the electricity to make money to pay back the loan.
But this one wants to tax u ontop providing nothing. That is evil.

Princedapace:
That he gave mumu loan to student that they will pay back is achievement? If the students parents are doing well, who will take loan?
We are talking about the real factors that affect everyday Nigerians here:
Electricity,
security
healthcare
purchasing power
And No, Tinubu wil not rule for 8 years. He has suffered us so much.

Counterigbolies:
so u mean parents too ain't stable abroad too where they have students loan?

U people just hate tinubu cos it's not your own that is there, the bad news I have for u is that either u like it or not tinubu will rule ur papa till 2031

LordBiden:
The problem of Nigeria is not something any of the incoming candidates can solve infact not even peter obi.
The structure of the country itself won't even allow it to progress.

Current democracy we practicing is too expensive.

What do we even need a bicameral legislature for?
Legislators should be working part time.

We should go back to parliamentary system of government.

We should a create a new constitution with stiffer penalties for corruption.

dgee1:
I read and liked your post last night, but reading this comment of yours that I'm quoting here, I'm sorry to say you're mistaken.

The reason why there's hardship in the country is because of two things: Subsidy removal on fuel and Forex.

Which of those two things has Peter Obi come out to say he would bring back? Why didn't he do these things you're praising him here for when he was the governor of Anambra state. He loves education so much but, as a governor, he increased school fees for Anambrans. I want to believe you're not one of those unruly bullies called Obedients, so answer the question logically and not emotionally.

Listen, none of Tinubu, Obi, and Atiku have the answer to the troubles bedeviling the Nigeria. The foundation on which this country is built is faulty. And to correct that foundation might require something very uncomfortable like a forced restructuring, revolution, or war (God forbid).

You really negated your initial post by presenting Peter Obi as the solution to the things you labelled up there.

Princedapace:
We have been paying taxes, my father and mother all paid, we pay taxes such as VAT in billions and trillions, we pay all types of bank levies and taxes, importation taxes, income taxes. The only sector not paying much of income tax remains the self employed sector. And income tax is not the only tax, Nigerians have been paying tax since colonial master came.
And Nigeria has mad resources that we dont need to pay such heavy taxes. What the new tax he brought does is widen those who will pay especially those who work online who were not captured in thhe previous tax law. As the previous tax law stated that u pay income tax on income earned/sourced within Nigeria. This put out thhose who earned money from abroad for paying income tax but they paid all other taxes such as VAT, property taxes, etc. We have been paying tax. And Nigeria has made mad money, but our problem is corruption and wastage. And extremely dependant economy. U are taxing heavily a country that imports everything.
Let me give u one idea, imagine we have a secured country where u and I can farm. Imagine in each family, one person is a farmer in large scale. We will have enough to crash food prices and export a lot to nearby countries which will boost the power of naira.
U can only grow when u export more finished products, not by importing everything.
Now, u need electricity for industrialization. He is not doing anything in electricity and security. These two are important for self sufficient economy buut he is focued on widen tax. Who dey Bleep told him that? Europeans grew their industries before heavy taxation and that is because they have not much resources.
One person in Nigeria will loot 30Biliion. This is the real issue, nigeria has money, it is wasted on political packages, and corruption. They will spend 350million on library renovation and u will check, u wont see any renovation. They will use 750 million to build govt website. These are the issues.

SixSeven:
I just need to break this down here because what you don't understand you will keep being misled.

A tax is money the government collects from people, businesses, or things you buy, to pay for public services like roads, schools, hospitals, and electricity.

Many Nigerians think only people with salaries pay tax because income tax (PAYE) is very visible, it comes straight off your paycheck. But in reality, everyone pays indirect taxes whenever they buy goods, fuel, food, use electricity, phone, or travel. The “hypocrisy” comes from the fact that government talks about income tax more because it’s easy to track, while indirect taxes are hidden in prices, so it feels like the poor or informal workers aren’t paying anything when they actually are.

What annoys me is the japa people that go abroad and yap about taxes. They want Nigeria to have the same western style. If you play with taxes abroad, you'll be shown the way out in the next election and you should also understand the white man and why he does things in a way. When you understand their history, you'll know why we are not the same.

Some countries really do not charge personal income tax at all meaning residents don’t file annual income tax returns like in the UK/US and don’t pay tax on their salaries. Examples include United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Monaco, Brunei and Vanuatu, among others. These countries still get money for government services through oil, trade, fees, or other taxes, not by taxing individual salaries. Do the maths and tell me one thing in common Nigeria has that some of these countries have. These countries fund government spending through other sources such as oil and gas revenues, corporate taxes, import duties, fees, tourism income or VAT/sales taxes, instead of taxing people’s income directly.

You need to get off this obsession with the west and trying to be like who you are not. This is the miseducation of the average African. Don't forget that in Aba and Ogun State, Women fought the imposition of taxes by the British. Many Nigerians don't even study their history. You should go and read why they didn't want the colonial government collecting taxes from them.


Historically, Western heavy taxation grew partly from scarcity and because they needed money to fund armies, wars, infrastructure, and administrative systems. Land and resources were limited, populations were growing, and scarcity of money made taxes necessary. Scarcity also came from their harsh climates, poor harvests, and limited technology, so the state had to extract more from people to survive and provide basic service, sunlike in some African systems, where wealth was shared communally rather than extracted as formal taxes. When you look at it today, the concept of Black Tax is because in Africa, we share the resources with the rest of us Ubuntu style. Learn why things are the way they are. Today, I see people teaching financial wealth and I laugh when they want us to copy westerners and their form of selfish indiduvual finance.


The day Nigerians wake up to know their rights and why the government cannot just squander their money, they will wake up.