Youth empowerment critical for sustainable taxation – FIRS

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has stressed on the importance of empowering Nigerians, particularly the youth, before enforcing taxation, stressing that a skilled and productive populace is the foundation for sustainable national prosperity.

Speaking at the Career Acceleration Summit held in Abuja on Saturday, Olufemi Olarinde, who represented Zaach Adedeji, executive chairman of FIRS, said the Service strongly supports initiatives that promote human capital development and employability among young Nigerians.

“At FIRS, we believe in people, technology, and process. Empowerment of the people is what leads to prosperity. The government has emphasised that we should be taxing the fruits, not the seeds meaning that people must first be empowered and productive before taxation can have true justification,” Olarinde said.

Olarinde, who serves as Head of the Fiscal and Tax Reforms Implementation Division and Special Adviser to the Executive Chairman on Tax Policy, said FIRS’ partnership with the summit reflects its commitment to supporting programs that enhance career development and create an enabling environment for national growth.

Also speaking, Emmanuel Idenyi, management consultant and financial expert, said the summit was designed to close the widening employability gap in Nigeria by helping individuals “level up” through continuous skill improvement.

“Many Nigerians, whether unemployed or currently employed, are not further employable. This has become a major challenge to economic growth. Government cannot do everything, so this is our way of contributing to the economy by helping people develop skills that make them more valuable and productive,” he stated.

Idenyi added that the Career Acceleration Summit, themed ‘Level Up’, encourages individuals to sharpen critical skills such as communication, leadership, multitasking, and financial management, all of which are vital for workplace excellence.

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In her remarks, Afolake Agunbiade, the convener of the summit and Chief Executive Officer of CADsync Consults, said the employability crisis in Nigeria stems not from a shortage of jobs but from a shortage of qualified candidates with the right mix of technical and soft skills.

“Contrary to popular opinion, there are jobs in Nigeria, however, employers often struggle to find the right candidates with skills beyond certificates such as storytelling, communication, decision-making, and critical thinking which are essential for today’s workplace,” she said.

Agunbiade identified storytelling, critical thinking, and technology adoption as the top three skills young Nigerians must develop to thrive locally and globally. She added that CADsync Consults is collaborating with key partners, including the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and FIRS, to ensure sustainability and continuity of the initiative.