Delta State’s leading voices in finance, economic planning, law, business and academia will converge on David’s Event Centre, Asaba, on Thursday, November 27, 2025, for the 2025 Convention and Annual Lecture of the Delta Online Publishers Forum (DOPF).
This year’s edition will explore the theme: “Nigeria’s New Tax Law: Implications and Opportunities for Businesses and Society.”
Chairing the event is Chief Edward Obiefuna Martyns (Nnanyelugo), FCA, MBA, MSc, Director of Local Government Accounts in the Office of the Accountant-General of Delta State.
A distinguished Chartered Accountant, Rotarian, philanthropist, and accomplished public finance expert, Chief Martyns brings decades of experience across both private and public sector financial management.
A robust panel of discussants drawn from government, academia, the legal community and the private sector will enrich the conversation. They include:
Mr. Sonny Ekedayen, Delta State Commissioner for Economic Planning, Fellow of ICAN and CITN;
Mr. Victor Fegor Origho, Accounting lecturer at Dennis Osadebay University and consultant on taxation, audit and corporate governance;
Mr. Martins Oyem Aghaobodo, Esq., veteran legal practitioner, retired administrator and Head of Chambers, Oyem M. Aghaobodo & Associates;
Barr. Ikpesu Gideon Jade, Vice Chairman of the NBA, Effurun Branch, noted for his expertise in legal and economic policy;
Engr. Tony Okoh, President of DACCIMA, who will provide critical private-sector perspectives on business competitiveness under the emerging tax framework.
The keynote address will be delivered by Associate Professor Ochuko Benedict Emudainohwo, PhD, FCA, a respected scholar of public finance and taxation at Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba. He will provide an in-depth analysis of the new tax legislation scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.
This year’s lecture carries particular significance as Nigeria prepares for what many analysts describe as one of its most far-reaching tax reforms since independence.
From the Petroleum Profits Tax Act of 1959 and the Companies Income Tax Act of 1961 to the introduction of VAT in 1993, Nigeria’s fiscal landscape has undergone continuous evolution.
The new tax law seeks to simplify compliance, plug revenue leakages, and deepen transparency in public finance.
The DOPF platform will offer a timely opportunity for stakeholders to interrogate its implications for governance, business operations, economic growth and social equity.
Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, is expected as Special Guest of Honour, alongside other top government officials, industry leaders, civil society organisations, and media professionals.
Now in its sixth edition, the DOPF Convention and Annual Lecture has grown into one of Delta State’s most credible platforms for civic engagement and policy dialogue.
The 2025 edition is poised to deepen public understanding of Nigeria’s new tax regime while fostering conversations that promote economic reform, fiscal responsibility and sustainable development.
