Together with DKK Nigeria, the Lagos State Internal Revenue Services is holding a debating tournament to teach kids the value of filing taxes.
Speaking on the fringes of the recent debate in Lagos, DKK Nigeria’s Chief Operating Officer, Bukola Thomas, said that the occasion will specifically guarantee that kids receive tax education while simultaneously increasing awareness among the younger members of society.
In her words, “This is the maiden edition of our Tax Trybe, where we use a debate to address tax issues. We wanted something that would help young children get educated on tax and be interested.
“So, what we are hoping is that by next year, by the time we are doing this again, we have a larger number of schools.”
Thomas claims that the Tax Trybe is a group that was established to teach secondary school pupils about taxes.
She clarified that only 12 of the 20 schools that were enrolled in the project were able to attend the tournament.
“We are planning to expand the number of schools from 20 to 60 by the end of next year and then we would have more people participate in this competition so that we can now go global and expand to other cities around us,” Thomas explained.
According to her, another goal of the curriculum was to develop better individuals who are more socially and consciously aware of the proper way to behave.
“We think that a lot of us might have given them a wrong impression. We are trying to make Lagos start to own responsibilities within Nigeria. The children here will go to other States so they will be able to leave Nigeria with a good name and good reputation all around,” she stated.
Additionally, Dr. Folashade Coker, Director of LIRS’s Informal Sector and Special Duties, expressed her happiness with the Tax Trybe effort, pointing out that it would aid in the early detection and education of such children.
“I am very impressed with what Tax Trybe is doing because we have to catch these children early. We want to ensure that as they grow up, they must inculcate those characters and habits,” she remarked.
Coker insisted that the programme was praiseworthy and said that it would educate both the parents and the pupils.
“The schools also will be able to appreciate what the state government is doing and the efforts of their teachers while their teachers will also apply to the tax laws.
“The impact it would have on the educational sector is to see the children thrive. A lot of children have decided what their careers would be and even beyond that, it will help them, form them and mould them to help them in public speaking,” she added.
Ishola Damilola, a student at Majidun Senior Grammar School in Ikorodu, who won the debate competition, expressed her happiness by saying it had made her more aware of the necessity of paying taxes as a responsible citizen.
“I am so happy to be here and I want to use this medium to thank the LIRS and Tax Trybe for allowing me to show my talent. I want to thank my teachers for giving me the courage,” Damilola said.
Wesley Girls Senior Secondary School and Lagos Senior College, the first and second runners-up, respectively, were the other winners.
