Lagos trains income officers in AI-powered tax system

The Lagos State Authorities has taken a major step in direction of attaining its 2025 income objectives by coaching 450 income officers on the Lagos Income Portal and its Synthetic Intelligence Chatbot, Madam Shikini.

In an announcement obtained by The PidomNigeria, the coaching, organised by the Workplace of the Particular Adviser on Taxation and Income, drew members from over 100 revenue-generating Ministries, Departments, and Companies.

Talking on the occasion, the Particular Adviser on Taxation and Income, Ogungbo Opeyemi, counseled the members, describing Lagos State’s civil servants as “Champions” whose dedication has been instrumental within the state’s income progress.

“The leap and progress recorded in our income couldn’t have been attainable with out the unwavering help and dedication of each one in every of you,” Ogungbo mentioned.

He emphasised that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu launched the LRP in August 2024 to revolutionise income assortment in Lagos.

The governor additionally issued a statewide round mandating all revenue-generating MDAs to combine with the LRP as a “one-stop-shop” for income issues.

“As we embark on this significant coaching, we’re reminded of the significance of aligning ourselves with the statewide mandate that requires the combination of all revenue-generating MDAs beneath a single, cohesive income framework,” Ogungbo said.

He added that the introduction of a Distinctive Payer ID is central to the reforms, enabling safe, clear, and environment friendly monitoring of income transactions throughout all platforms.

“The statewide round mandating the combination of all revenue-generating MDAs locations a transparent emphasis on the function of this Distinctive Payer ID in guaranteeing that we will monitor and monitor all income transactions in a safe, clear, and environment friendly method,” he mentioned.

Chatting with journalists on the sidelines, the Particular Adviser to the Governor on Company Finance and Technique, Akintayo Sanwo-Olu, highlighted the significance of tax compliance and ongoing reforms.

He defined the necessity for each civil servants and residents to meet their tax obligations to help the state’s income technology efforts.

“For us, it’s one of many different measures we’re taking with the intention to have interaction, educate, and let the man civil servants which are with us on this administration perceive the premise for why there’s such an enormous income drive,” Akintayo mentioned.

He burdened that guaranteeing each officer within the administration understands their function is significant to assembly income targets and absolutely utilising the state’s price range.

“We have to make sure that each officer inside our administration is nicely conscious of the necessities and what’s required of us to make sure that all our income targets are met over the following 12 months 2025,” Akintayo added.

The coaching goals to strengthen Lagos State’s tax system by leveraging technology-driven options, aligning with its long-term imaginative and prescient for income progress and monetary transparency.