Our reporter
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has dismissed reports suggesting that Nigerians will be barred from opening or operating bank accounts without a Tax Identification Number (TIN) from January 2026.
The false claim, which gained traction on some media platforms, had stirred widespread anxiety over potential hurdles to banking access.
In a statement released on Saturday via its official X (formerly Twitter) account, Mrs Aderonke Atoyebi, Special Assistant on Social Media Communications to the FIRS Chairman, described the report as misleading.
She clarified that while tax reforms are ongoing, no new banking conditions have been introduced:
“In ongoing discussions about tax reforms, some have misinterpreted the process to mean that anyone without a TIN will be unable to open a bank account. This is not true. Nigeria’s tax system is directly integrated with key national registries, including the National Identification Number (NIN) and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Therefore, eligible individuals can automatically be identified without applying separately for a TIN.”
Mrs Atoyebi further explained that once a person provides their NIN during account opening or Know Your Customer (KYC) verification, their tax records are automatically linked.
For businesses, she noted that TINs are now generated automatically through Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration, removing the need for any additional application.
FIRS assured Nigerians that no extra hurdles have been imposed on citizens and urged the public to disregard the rumours.
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