Taiwo Oyedele, the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, has disclosed that he has received threats on his life because of his involvement in carrying out Nigeria’s extensive tax reforms.
Oyedele revealed this in Abuja on Tuesday at a governance colloquium held to commemorate the 50th birthday of Hajiya Hadiza Bala-Usman, the President’s Special Advisor on Policy and Coordination.
Speaking at the occasion, Oyedele stated that it takes extraordinary bravery to pursue reforms that impact powerful interests, especially in a system that has long been resistant to change.
“Tax reforms are even more difficult than other improvements. You must be brave. He remarked, “I get threats just for trying to fix a broken system.”
He noted that the public’s lack of understanding of fiscal exchange, a culture of low tax compliance, and ingrained suspicion of the government were the main barriers to the implementation of reforms.
He claims that as Nigeria’s tax collection is still much lower than that of peer nations, extensive reforms are unavoidable.
Oyedele said that quiet allows opponents to control public discourse and asked Nigerians who support the reforms to speak up.
Oyedele noted that many Nigerians misinterpret the reforms, thinking that new taxes are being imposed when the current levies are being cut and harmonised. He described trust as the most important obstacle.
He said, “There is a sudden national awareness, and people say the government has brought taxes everywhere, when in fact what we are doing is reducing the taxes they have been paying and harmonising them.”
He pointed out that there are serious risks to the reforms’ implementation in terms of politics, the economy, and reputation.
“You must have the guts to persevere. It’s quite dangerous, therefore you need to have the guts to take chances,” he remarked.
Oyedele defended the reform agenda in the face of personal threats and online abuse, comparing earlier methods to band-aid solutions.
“We have been using the tax system as a pain reliever for my entire adult life. We haven’t come very far. We are now performing the procedure. “It is the only right thing to do, but it will hurt,” he stated.
He urged Nigerians to be dedicated to attaining long-term budgetary stability and voiced optimism about the nation’s future, characterising the current reform momentum as unprecedented.
The Nigeria Tax Act 2025, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025, the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Act 2025, and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Act 2025 are the four main legislation that the federal government introduced on January 1, 2026, to begin enforcing the new tax regime.
