Emma Elekwa
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) South-East Region has reiterated its readiness to partner with relevant stakeholders to contribute to a working system for both revenue generation and economic expansion.
Chairman, Lady (Dr.) Adaora Chukwudozie stated this at the Stakeholders’ Engagement Session organized by Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (ESIRS), Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA) and other Organized Private Sector (OPS) partners.
The engagement held in Enugu was themed, “Understanding and Leveraging the Opportunities in Nigeria’s New Tax Reform”
According to Chukwudozie, taxation should not only generate revenue but should enable production. This means incentives for local manufacturing, export readiness, and value addition.
She said, “As manufacturers, we are ready to partner — not just to comply — but to contribute to a system that works for both revenue generation and economic expansion.
“We must move from tax collection to value creation, from enforcement to enablement as well as from compliance burden to compliance efficiency.
“The success of these reforms will not be measured by how much is collected, but by how much production is unlocked, how many jobs are created, and how competitive our industries become.
Three critical issues
“For manufacturers, three issues remain critical: Clarity and Predictability. Tax systems must be transparent and consistent. Uncertainty creates risk, and risk discourages investment.
“When compliance becomes burdensome, it diverts time and resources away from productivity.
A good tax system should be easy to comply with and difficult to evade.
“However, this engagement is not just about identifying challenges. It is about building alignment between government and industry.”
While commending ESIRS for creating the platform for engagement, the MAN boss said the initiatives signaled a shift from enforcement-driven taxation to collaborative economic governance, which is essential for sustainable growth.
“From the perspective of manufacturers, tax reforms are not just policy instruments — they are operational realities that directly impact production, pricing, competitiveness, and ultimately, job creation.
“The central question before us is not whether reforms are necessary — they are..The real question is: do these reforms reduce friction for production, or do they increase the cost of doing business?” she quipped.
