The Executive Secretary, Joint Revenue Board, Mr. Olusegun Adesokan, receiving a plaque from the President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Mr. Innocent Ohagwa.
The Executive Secretary of the Joint Revenue Board (JRB), Mr. Olusegun Adesokan, has said that the Harmonised Taxes and Levies Law being domesticated by States will equally help to improve revenue administration at the Local Government level.
Mr. Adesokan who stated this on Wednesday 13th May 2026, at the 28th National Tax Conference of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) in Abuja, said revenue collected, remitted and accounted for, by Local Government Councils in Nigeria remains very low.
He said the 2025 internally generated revenue figures from Local Government Areas in 19 States so far collated by the JRB was about N45 billion, noting that some of the revenue collected in cash by local government revenue agents may have been lost to leakages.
The Executive Secretary of the JRB who was a discussant on the sub-theme, “Sub-national Fiscal Governance and Revenue Autonomy: Strengthening State and Local Revenue Systems Under the JRB Act 2025”, stated that the Harmonised Taxes and Levies Law currently being domesticated in States across the country, will enhance efficiency in revenue administration at the State and Local Government levels.
The Harmonised Taxes and Levies Law which has so far been domesticated by 15 States, outlaws and criminalises cash collection and the mounting of roadblocks for the collection of taxes, levies and other statutory charges.
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Under the model Law, revenue officers and accredited tax agents are the only persons allowed to give tax assessments and collect revenue. The model Law also provides for Local Governments to choose to delegate the power of assessment and collection of their taxes to States, where there is a need, to make collection simpler, seamless and efficient.
Mr. Adesokan noted that the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act 2025, which was an offshoot of the tax reforms, expanded the mandate of the Board to include promoting harmonisation of taxes, levies, rates, charges and other payments and ensure uniformity in revenue administration across the three tiers of government in Nigeria.
