Kogi Lawyer Challenges Tax Clearance Policy for Students’ Registration

 Babatunji Wusu –

• Kogi State’s new policy requires students to present parents’ tax clearance certificates for registration.
• Human rights activist Arome Odoma argues this policy violates the right to education and is unjust.
• Odoma issues a pre-action notice to the government, urging a reversal of the policy by January 10, 2025.
• The National Human Rights Commission also calls for a balanced approach that prioritizes education.

Arome Odoma, a Kogi-based lawyer and human rights advocate, has issued a pre-action notice to the Kogi State government, challenging a policy that requires students to present their parents’ tax clearance certificates for registration. The policy, introduced in November 2024, stipulates that students without a verifiable tax clearance certificate from their parents will be barred from continuing their education in the state.

Odoma criticizes the policy as “repugnant to natural justice, equity, and good conscience,” arguing that it unjustly deprives children of their right to education. He pointed out that education is a fundamental right, not a privilege, and that policies should not discriminate against students based on their parents’ ability to comply with tax regulations. Odoma also questioned why students, who have no role in enforcing tax payments, should bear the consequences of their parents’ tax non-compliance.

Furthermore, Odoma expressed concerns about the policy’s impact on the financial stability of educational institutions, which may lose revenue due to students being unable to register. He urged Governor Usman Ododo to reverse the policy by January 10, 2025, or face legal action aimed at protecting the right to education for Kogi’s children.

In support of Odoma’s position, Sir Agabaidu Jideani, the National Commissioner for the Right to Education at the National Human Rights Commission, called on Governor Ododo to find a more balanced approach that prioritizes the education of children while still encouraging tax compliance among parents.