ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-Celebrity fashion designer Seyi Adekunle, widely known as Seyi Vodi, has called for timely payment of taxes as he submitted his annual tax returns.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Head of Corporate Communications of the FCT Internal Revenue Service, Mustapha Sumaila, which noted that Vodi made the appeal during a visit to the Service’s Corporate Headquarters on Friday, where he filed his Annual Tax Return.
Vodi said prompt tax compliance would help fast-track the implementation of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and further accelerate infrastructural development within the Federal Capital Territory.
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Section 14 of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025 requires employers to submit comprehensive annual returns detailing all emoluments paid to employees, including taxes deducted and remitted to appropriate tax authorities.
The law stipulates that such returns must be filed no later than January 31 of each year.
The designer urged business owners in the FCT and across Nigeria to fulfil their civic obligations by voluntarily paying their taxes to support development in the territory and the country at large.
“It is noble to pay your taxes because this is the money the government uses for infrastructural development and the provision of public services to the people. I am urging my fellow business owners, especially tailors, to come forward and voluntarily discharge this civic responsibility for the progress of the FCT and Nigeria as a whole,” he said.
Vodi also praised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for what he described as remarkable achievements within two years in office.
“I must commend the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Wike, for the giant strides recorded within two years in office. I have been a resident of the FCT for the past 25 years, since my NYSC days. I know what the FCT used to be and what it is today.
The infrastructural development under the present FCT Minister is unprecedented, particularly in road construction and security. The projects are visible; only the blind would fail to see how the capital city has been transformed,” he stated.
Speaking during the visit, the Acting Executive Chairman of the FCT-IRS, Mr Michael Ango, applauded the fashion designer for voluntarily coming forward to file his Annual Tax Return without any form of compulsion.
Ango described Vodi’s action as exemplary and worthy of imitation by other business owners and high-net-worth individuals in the FCT, noting that he is the first high-net-worth individual to file his Annual Tax Return for the year.
He further urged the celebrity to help promote voluntary tax compliance among his colleagues, encouraging them to fulfil their civic duties in the interest of the territory’s development.
“The Minister has transformed Abuja into a world-class capital city, and citizens must support this progress by living up to their responsibilities so the FCT Administration will have adequate resources to do more,” Ango said.
He also pledged that the Service would issue Vodi a letter of commendation in recognition of his compliance as the first high-net-worth individual to file his Annual Tax Return this year.