How I got billed ₦80 million in taxes

• Opeyemi Famakin noted that merely two days after he went viral for saying that he earns ₦9 million on a bad week, the LIRS contacted him via email and taxed him.
• The controversial food critic elicited reactions across social media after revealing the amount he makes in a week.

Nigerian food critic Opeyemi Famakin has shared how he was billed ₦80 million in taxes by the Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS).

Opeyemi Famakin recalled this unexpected encounter during an interview on the ‘With Chude’ podcast, while discussing his career and financial journey as a food critic.

Opeyemi Famakin recalled how the LIRS reached out to him via email just two days after he went viral for stating that he earns ₦9 million on a bad week.

He reflected on the timing of the email, suggesting that his public statement may have prompted the attention from the tax authority.

He emphasized that he had taken the matter seriously, adding that he had contacted his accountant to ensure his current tax obligations were met.

He said:

“LIRS sent me an email o, they billed me 80 million naira, I paid it o, I pay my tax now. However, I would never talk about my finances again. It was like play, two days after I mentioned my finances they sent me an email.

“Even though I told them ‘allegedly,’ they said no. A whole 80 million naira but let’s not discuss it. I am now a proud tax payer. Literally, today I texted my accountant to pay this month’s tax. So LIRS, I pay tax now o.”

This incident closely follows Famakin’s earlier remarks on social media that stirred significant reactions in 2022, where he claimed to be the highest-paid food critic in Nigeria and discussed his diverse income streams from consulting for restaurants and co-owning businesses.

“I consult for restaurants; I also make some money from the businesses I co-own. I’m the highest-paid food critic in Nigeria. When I made the statement saying that I make 9 million in a bad week, people thought I was capping but the money hasn’t gone down,” he said during his interview on the Echoo Room podcast at the time.