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Renowned tax expert and public affairs analyst, Morenike Tejuade Babington-Ashaye, has launched a scathing attack on Nigeria’s continued celebration of independence, describing it as a “nauseating fraud” that mocks the nation’s sovereignty and impoverishes its people.

Babington-Ashaye, who is President of the International Centre for Tax Research and Development, said in a statement made available to Sunday Independent that the annual independence festivities are a waste of money and energy on what she called a “false independence” that was never truly granted.

“There should be no cause for independence in the first place. How can you ask a foreigner to leave your land, and then turn around to accept so-called independence on their terms — terms that allow them to control your resources and dictate your policies? This independence is a scam and must be dismissed,” she declared.

While she acknowledged the efforts of Nigeria’s freedom fighters who resisted British colonial rule, Babington-Ashaye argued that the colonial powers never truly left.

“After 100 years of this scam, Britain still controls our political, economic, and social systems through neo-colonial agents like the IMF, World Bank, and so-called development partners. Even our recent tax reform was sponsored by them,” she said.

The tax scholar expressed deep concern over the revelation that 97% of Nigeria’s workforce is unable to pay Personal Income Tax, a statistic she says exposes the crippling poverty under which most citizens live.

“Only 3% of our workforce carries the burden for everyone. That means 97% are politically, economically, and socially incapacitated in their own country. This is unacceptable,” she lamented.

Babington-Ashaye also highlighted the staggering number of unemployed Nigerians — 3.9 million as of July 2025 — many of whom receive no unemployment benefits, despite constitutional guarantees.

She warned that the silence of well-meaning citizens has emboldened those perpetuating injustice and called for deep national introspection.

“Those celebrating independence must pause and reflect on the true meaning of humanity, dignity, economic justice, political inclusion, and social stability. As long as our constitution fails to produce an egalitarian society — where taxes and natural resource proceeds ensure a living wage — then government policies are meaningless to most Nigerians,” she said.

As a way forward, Babington-Ashaye proposed a radical redistribution of national wealth, recommending that 50% of all revenue from mineral resources be paid directly to households monthly to eradicate poverty. The remaining revenue, she said, should be split — 30% for infrastructure and 20% saved for future generations.

She further argued that taxes must be ring-fenced for specific uses: personal income tax for social services, VAT for welfare, company tax for state economic services, capital gains tax for political development, and road taxes for infrastructure.

“Citizens must be informed for the sake of transparency and accountability. Debt is slavery — and it must be avoided at all costs. Our commonwealth belongs to all of us, not a privileged few,” she concluded.

Babington-Ashaye’s fiery comments come as Nigeria marked its 65th Independence Anniversary, raising fresh questions about whether the country is truly free — or still shackled by the economic and political influence of its former colonial masters.