“Every single naira you transfer whether to your mother, your brother, your child, or your friend, the government dips its hand into it.
Not because they provided value.
Not because they improved your life.
But simply because they can” – Mfon Umana
A United States-based Nigerian, Mfon Umana, has called on Nigerians to wake up and reject what she described as “draining tax”, stressing that a country where citizens are taxed for loving one another is already broken.
In a statement she personally signed, the American-trained healthcare expert while relieving her experiences about the new tax regime in Nigeria, wondered why Nigerians were not on the streets to demand for a change.
The statement is hereunder presented in full:
Press Statement
THIS DRAINING TAX AND AN UNACCEPTABLE NOTE TO NIGERIANS:
OPEN YOUR EYES
Dear Nigerians,
This note is not polite. It is not soft. It is not comforting. It is unacceptable, because what is happening to us is unacceptable.
We are being robbed in broad daylight, and most of us are acting like it is normal.
Let me tell you my own experience.
A family member sent me ₦27,000. It was not income. It was not profit. It was not business. I refunded the money back to him. Guess what?
I was taxed for refunding money that was never mine.
• ₦50 Federal Government stamp duty
• ₦28 NIP charge + VAT
Then I sent ₦10,000 as pocket money to my nephew, a child.
Again, I was charged.
So let me ask,
When did helping your family become a taxable offense?
When did love, support, and basic human kindness turn into a revenue stream for the government?
Every single naira you transfer whether to your mother, your brother, your child, or your friend, the government dips its hand into it.
Not because they provided value.
Not because they improved your life.
But simply because they can.
And Nigerians are quiet.
Why is Nigeria not on the streets demanding change?
Why are we accepting charges on every penny we move, while salaries remain poor, fuel is expensive, electricity is unreliable, roads are broken, and security is a joke?
What exactly are they doing with this money?
• Are hospitals better? No.
• Are schools improved? No.
• Is electricity stable? No.
• Is hunger reducing? No.
So where is the money going?
Let us stop pretending.
Nigeria is being robbed, and under Tinubu’s government, this robbery has become systematic, digital, and legalized.
They don’t need to come to your house with guns anymore.
They sit quietly in the system and tax your survival.
You earn — you are taxed.
You save — you are taxed.
You send money to family — you are taxed.
You refund money — you are taxed.
And Nigerians clap, adapt, and move on.
This is not normal.
This is not acceptable.
And silence is not patience , silence is surrender.
If we continue like this, tomorrow they will tax you for checking your balance, and Nigerians will still ask, “How far?”
Wake up.
Ask questions.
Demand accountability.
Because a country where citizens are charged for loving one another is already broken.
Enough is enough.
Signed:
Mfon Umana
