The Kogi State government’s decision to mandate students’ registration only upon presentation of their parents’ tax clearance certificates has triggered widespread outrage. Parents, human rights activists, and educationists are vocal in their opposition to the policy, calling it unjust and discriminatory.
In late November 2024, the Chairman of the Kogi State Board of Internal Revenue, Sule Enehe, issued a memo to schools, instructing them not to admit students without a verifiable tax clearance from their parents.
A Kogi-based legal practitioner and rights activist, Arome Odoma, has since issued a Pre-Action Notice against the policy, challenging its legality. Odoma condemned the policy as “repugnant to natural justice, equity, and good conscience” and emphasized that education is a fundamental right, not a privilege to be denied based on parental tax compliance.
The notice, addressed to the Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, and the Chairman of the Revenue Board, calls for the reversal of the policy by January 10, 2025, or the initiation of legal action to protect the right to education.
“This policy not only violates the right to education but also contradicts the principles of fairness and equity,” Odoma stated. He questioned why innocent students should suffer for their parents’ inability to pay taxes, highlighting that many successful leaders in Nigeria grew up without parental support.
Meanwhile, concerned parent Mr. Elesho Emmanuel described the policy as “anti-education” and “anti-human,” urging Governor Ododo to reconsider what he saw as a misguided push for revenue generation.
The National Commissioner for the Right to Education at the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria, Sir Agabaidu Jideani, also voiced concerns. While acknowledging the need for tax compliance, he cautioned that the policy could undermine children’s right to education and urged the state government to find a more balanced approach.
