LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – A Majidun Senior Grammar School pupil, Ikorodu, Ishola Damilola, has won the Lagos edition of the Tax Trybe Debate.
They were followed closely by Lagos Senior College and Wesley Girls Senior Secondary School who emerged first and second runner-up respectively.
The debate competition is aimed at educating children about the importance of paying taxes.
While speaking with journalists, Ishola expressed her happiness and mentioned that the competition has expanded her understanding of the importance 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,” she said.
Also speaking during the competition, the Chief Operating Officer of DKK Nigeria, Bukola Thomas said the company partnered with the Lagos State Internal Revenue Services (LIRS) to raise awareness of tax matters among youths in society.
She said: “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 described the Tax Trybe as a club established to cultivate a tax culture among secondary school students.
She noted that out of the initial 20 schools in the program, only 12 participated in the competition.
“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.
She emphasized that the program also aimed to nurture responsible adults who are conscientious and socially aware of ethical conduct.
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“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.
Also, the Director of Informal Sector and Special Duties, LIRS, Dr Folashade Coker, expressed delight with the Tax Trybe initiative, noting that it would help to catch and educate those children at a young age.
“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 maintained that the programme was laudable, noting its impact in enlightening both students and their parents.
“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.