A Nigerian banker has taken to social media to share his amusement at the creative and often hilarious descriptions customers are writing on their bank transfers in an attempt to navigate the country's new tax regulations.
Viral TikTok Video Sparks Laughter and Debate
The banker, identified as Sanni Oluwatimileyin (TikTok handle @timmylee03), posted a video online where he expressed how hard he had been laughing at the transfer narrations he encountered, especially since the new tax law came into effect on January 1, 2026. He claimed to have seen over 50 unusual narrations in a single day, prompting him to ask netizens to share others they had witnessed.
"Bankers reading different narration on people’s transfer cos of the new tax reform. Today I don see over 50 narration that got me laughing out so loud. Wahala be like tax oooo," he captioned the viral clip.
Examples of Hilarious Transfer Descriptions
In the comments section of his post, Oluwatimileyin listed some of the funny phrases that caught his eye. One customer wrote "Owo eja yiyan iya sheri" (a convoluted Yoruba phrase), while another put "Owo ewa Ibeji". The banker's revelation opened the floodgates, with other social media users sharing more examples they had seen or used.
One commenter, @Christyyy, recounted: "My sister sent money to me today. The description was 'money for food, she never chop since last week, na orphan abeg no tax am'. I laughed ehn." Another user, @Eazy__Thrift, reported seeing a narration that read "Owo oku posi baba agba".
Clarifying the New Tax Law Rules
Amid the humour, the banker also took a moment to educate the public on the specifics of the new tax policy, aiming to clear up widespread confusion. He explained that the tax applies across all banks and is targeted at income, not random transfers.
The first N800,000 of income is not taxed, according to his explanation. However, any income earned above that N800,000 threshold is subject to taxation. He further clarified that revenue authorities can distinguish between earned income and casual money transfers, noting that repeated transactions, like selling multiple cars, could be viewed as business activity.
The online discussion revealed significant public anxiety and creativity. Users like @D worried about forgetting to add a description, while @damikellz expressed pity for bankers who have to decipher the cryptic messages. Others, like @BEST-WAY, noted a surge in transfers labelled as "loan" or "refund," joking that the tax had turned customers into loan officers.
This incident follows a similar trend reported earlier, where a lady shared the unusual description a clothing vendor insisted she use for her payment transfer. The conversation around bank transfer narrations continues to trend online as Nigerians collectively grapple with the implications of the new fiscal policy.
