The Federal Government has announced that agencies must not withhold requested data for more than 48 hours, or they will face strict penalties.
Taiwo Oyedele, the Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, shared this news at a summit hosted by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
He criticized the practice of agencies selling or withholding data, stating that it hurts efforts to generate revenue.
Oyedele mentioned plans to create a law that will make it illegal to withhold government-held data and require that it be provided for free within specific timeframes.
He stressed, “The data does not belong to the agencies.” He shared an example where the Joint Tax Board (JTB) was asked to pay for access to data, questioning how the government could increase revenue if agencies were selling information instead of using it to support development.
