By Henry Uche
The President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Mr. Samuel Agbeluyi, has been elected as the President of West African Union of Tax Institutes (WAUTI). A statement from the Institute confirmed that Mr. Agbeluyi was elected was during the 11th Annual General Meeting of the Union on 27th February 2025 in Accra Ghana.
By this development, WAUTI will be led by Nigeria for a two-year tenure. WAUTI is an association of National Tax Institutes/Associations within the ECOWAS sub-region, dedicated to fostering tax professionalism, improving tax compliance, and streamlining tax administration across member states.
WAUTI’s vision is to harmonise taxation practice across West Africa, ensuring a fair and transparent system that benefits economies and enhances compliance. Its mission is to promote professional standards, competence, and integrity among taxation practitioners while fostering collaboration among member states.
Mr. Agbeluyi, who at various times occupied the position of Honorary Treasurer and 2nd Vice President of the Body brings a wealth of experience spanning decades. As the current 16th of CITN, one of the foremost and only professional Tax Institute in Nigeria, he undoubtedly, has the pedigree and experience to succeed in this assignment.
He is a member of the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, member, Institute of Directors, Nigeria (CIoD), Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and Fellow, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Nigeria (CIS).
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Agbeluyi expressed gratitude to the member-bodies of WAUTI for finding Nigeria worthy of the position. He pledged to work assiduously with other executives, while also leveraging partnerships with stakeholders in the region to foster practices that support professionalism in the tax system of member states of the ECOWAS. This, he noted, would advance the goals and objectives of WAUTI.
Other members of the Executive of WAUTI for the period 2025 – 2027 were also elected at the AGM. It is noteworthy that Mr. Innocent Ohagwa, the current Vice President of the CITN was re-elected as the Honorary Treasurer of the Body.