Coverage by The Guardian Nigeria, UNILAG and FirstBank are urging a more realistic approach to ethics, taxation and regulation for millions of small businesses operating informally.
Speakers at the Samuel Asabia Professorial Chair lecture argued that traders, artisans and other micro-enterprises often navigate a difficult space between compliance obligations and economic survival.
A durable formalisation strategy will require simpler taxes, credible public services, access to finance and regulation that makes compliance economically rational rather than merely punitive.
University of Lagos separately corroborated the development, reporting that “Lessons for Tax Compliance and Accountability”. Vanguard also confirmed the core development, noting that “informal sector provides livelihoods”.
Echotitbits take: The development is worth watching for its practical effect on households, businesses, investors or public institutions. The next signal will be implementation, measurable outcomes and whether the responsible institutions publish follow-through data.
Source: The Guardian Nigeria – https://guardian.ng/education/unilag-first-bank-rally-ethical-conduct-in-informal-economy/, 2026-09-10
Photo Credit: Unilag
