By Abdallah Idris Muhammed (AIM)
Why Nigerians Admire the United States and UAE but Refuse to Fund Nigeria
There is an old parable about a man who stands at the riverbank every morning, praying for a bridge, yet refuses to lay even a single plank when the wood is handed to him. Years pass. The river remains. And the man continues to pray.
Nigeria, unfortunately, has perfected this parable.
We pray for development with unmatched fervour. We chant the names of the United States and the United Arab Emirates as benchmarks of what Nigeria should become. We admire their highways, airports, universities, power systems, and security architecture. Yet when the bill arrives—the bill every functioning society must pay—we push it back and shout, “Oppression!”
We want bridges without planks. Civilisation without contribution. Development without dues.
The Aviation VAT Episode: A Lesson We Refuse to Learn
Few examples expose Nigeria’s tax paradox more clearly than the aviation sector.
Years ago, Nigerians loudly blamed Value Added Tax (VAT) for the rising cost of domestic air tickets. The argument was simple, emotional, and politically potent: remove VAT, and airfares will fall. The government obliged. VAT on domestic tickets was removed.
What followed was not relief, but revelation.
Airfares did not fall. They quadrupled. Airlines blamed fuel costs, foreign exchange pressures, maintenance, insurance, infrastructure decay, and operational inefficiencies. Suddenly, VAT was no longer the villain. The problem was structural.
This should have settled the debate. Removing tax does not remove cost; it only shifts it. Yet Nigerians rarely like lessons that demand self-reflection. We continue to believe that taxes are the root of all public failure, rather than the absence of efficiency, transparency, and accountability.
The Diaspora Hypocrisy: Paying Abroad, Rebelling at Home
Here lies one of the most ironic chapters in our national theatre.
The same Nigerians who attack tax reforms at home:
- Move to the United States and obediently file tax returns
- Live in the UAE, paying VAT, corporate taxes, and compliance fees without protest
- Accept audits, penalties, and enforcement as normal life
They do not argue with the IRS. They do not vilify UAE tax authorities. They do not demand exemptions on moral grounds.
Then they return home, and suddenly taxation becomes tyranny.
What we call “order” abroad becomes “oppression” at home. What we respect elsewhere, we demonise locally. That is not principle; it is convenience dressed up as patriotism.
A Nigerian proverb says, “He who eats another man’s yam does not complain about the cooking.” Many of our citizens live this paradox daily—benefiting from public goods abroad while rejecting the same responsibilities at home.
The Cost of Convenience: Why We Fail to Build Bridges
Every functioning society understands a simple truth: public goods cost money.
The United States did not build highways on prayer points.
The UAE did not transform deserts into gleaming cities with hashtags.
Both taxed, enforced compliance, planned infrastructure, and then improved governance alongside revenue collection.
Nigeria, by contrast, wants governance perfection before participation. We want a spotless barn before we feed the goat—yet the goat is already starving.
No country in history developed on distrust alone. No society built an airport by blaming VAT for fuel costs and maintenance.
Corruption Is a Disease, but Starvation Is Not the Cure
Yes, corruption exists. Yes, funds are sometimes stolen. Yes, public trust has been eroded.
But starving the state is not medicine; it is suicide.
No surgeon cures infection by draining all the blood.
No pilot fixes turbulence by shutting down the engine.
The United States did not abolish taxes to fight corruption. The UAE did not suspend compliance to build trust. They enforced first—and reformed continuously.
Nigeria’s refusal to grasp this logic is why we keep circling the same runway without taking off.
Self-Check for Leaders: The Mirror Nigeria Needs
For tax reform to succeed, credibility must flow in both directions. Citizens cannot be asked to contribute blindly. Government must demonstrate discipline and transparency.
A credible reform agenda requires:
- Radical transparency in public spending
Accessible budgets, clear project tracking, and visible cost breakdowns - Full audit of public debt (last 10 years)
Public disclosure of lenders, usage, execution, and outcomes - Transparent procurement processes
Published contracts, bidders, and beneficial ownership - Equal enforcement of the law
No sacred cows, no exemptions by wealth or proximity to power - Audit reports that bite
Findings must lead to consequences, not committees - Visible links between taxes and services
Roads, power, schools, hospitals—not slogans - Clear public debt communication
Every loan justified, explained, and monitored - Executive accountability on major projects
Regular public reporting by ministers and agency heads
These are not concessions. They are obligations. Citizens cannot build a country alone.
The Elite Paradox: Starving the State While Benefiting
The most corrosive irony remains this:
Some of the loudest critics of government failure are also the most skilled at starving the state.
They use public roads, courts, passports, security, and legitimacy—yet quietly undermine revenue through avoidance and opaque arrangements.
It is like refusing to water a plant, then blaming it for not growing.
Humour, Parables, and National Self-Reflection
A Hausa saying warns, “The man who points at the moon often forgets he is standing in a ditch.” Nigerians admire the moon—the United States and UAE—while digging our own ditch by rejecting civic responsibility.
Picture this: a man complains that shoes are expensive but refuses to buy a pair that fits. He borrows a friend’s shoes, walks comfortably for a week, then returns home to criticise cobblers.
That is the aviation VAT story in one paragraph.
That is Nigeria’s tax paradox in a nutshell.
Development without contribution is not ambition. It is delusion.
The Hard Truth Nigeria Must Finally Accept
The aviation VAT episode, diaspora hypocrisy, and systemic inefficiencies converge on one truth:
Taxes are not the enemy. Weak institutions and inconsistent governance are.
You cannot hate taxes and love development.
You cannot pay abroad and rebel at home.
You cannot starve the state and demand strength.
Development is not magic. It is not prayer. It is not outrage.
It is payment—followed by accountability.
Until Nigeria accepts this, we will keep standing at the riverbank, praying for bridges, while refusing to lay a single plank.
Abdallah Idris Muhammed (AIM) is an advocate for good governance and a public policy analyst.
©️ AIM
