Nigeria, Dec. 12 -- It was on Monday (this week) that the federal government launched what can be called a national campaign aimed at promoting responsible citizenship, patriotism and public accountability. The initiative, called "My Nigeria, My Responsibility," was unveiled at the State House in Abuja by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris. It was launched apparently to prepare the minds of Nigerians to embrace the tax regime which implementation, all other things being equal, is just about a month away.

For instance, at the launching, Idris said "Patriotism is in the taxes you pay." That is true. Every patriotic citizen should be willing to pay tax especially when they are reasonably taxed by a reasonab...