The Lagos State Government has reacted to TikTok star Habeeb Hamzat, popularly known as Peller, who recently claimed he was slammed with a ₦36 million tax bill by the state.
Peller, a 20-year-old influencer and content creator, went viral last week after lamenting in a livestream with singer Peruzzi that the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) demanded the huge sum from him.
“The task force said I should pay ₦36m in tax. I swear to Almighty Allah, I don’t have anything. I only came into the limelight last year… Why should I pay ₦36m? What does that even mean? Why will the government take money from me when it has never given me anything, not even TikTok support?” he complained.
Reacting to the backlash, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tax and Revenue, Abdulkabir Ogungbo, said while the details of Peller’s case would be reviewed, anyone legitimately earning income in Lagos is obliged to pay tax.
“Generally, the LIRS is an autonomous body saddled with the responsibility of assessing and giving the best judgment on behalf of the government. Within the context of personal income, anybody who is legitimately earning is meant to declare that honestly to the authorities,” Ogungbo told The PUNCH on Tuesday.
He further explained that tax obligations extend to digital creators, online businesses, and virtual transactions, in line with Nigeria’s evolving tax reforms.
“When you earn online or physically, you’re meant to remit your tax to the LIRS. If you live in Lagos and use its infrastructure, you are bound to pay tax here — unless you can prove you are remitting to another jurisdiction,” he said.
Ogungbo, however, stressed that he had not yet received the specifics of Peller’s case and would need to investigate with LIRS.
Meanwhile, the LIRS has not officially responded to Peller’s viral claims. Efforts to reach the agency’s Head of Corporate Communications, Monsurat Amasa, were unsuccessful as calls and messages were left unanswered.
