Tax Reform: I face death threats for overhauling Nigeria’s faulty system — Oyedele

The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has disclosed that he has received threats to his life as a result of his involvement in Nigeria’s ongoing tax reforms.

Oyedele made the revelation in Abuja while speaking at a governance colloquium organised to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hajiya Hadiza Bala-Usman.

According to him, driving reforms that challenge long-standing interests demands uncommon bravery, especially within a system that has historically resisted structural change. He noted that tax reforms, in particular, attract intense opposition.

“Reforms are difficult, and tax reforms are even more difficult. You need courage. I get threatened simply because I am trying to repair a broken system,” Oyedele said.

He identified several hurdles confronting the reform process, including widespread distrust in government, weak tax compliance, and limited public understanding of how taxes translate into public services.

Oyedele explained that Nigeria’s tax revenue performance lags significantly behind that of comparable countries, making far-reaching reforms unavoidable. He called on Nigerians who understand and support the changes to speak out, warning that opposition voices tend to dominate when supporters remain silent.

Trust, he said, remains the biggest challenge, as many citizens wrongly assume the reforms introduce additional taxes rather than streamline and reduce existing ones.

“There is now a national conversation suggesting that government has imposed multiple new taxes, whereas what we are actually doing is cutting down the taxes people were already paying and harmonising them,” he clarified.

He acknowledged that the reforms come with serious political, economic, and reputational risks, stressing that only determination and courage can see them through.

“You must be ready to take risks. It is extremely risky, but it is necessary,” Oyedele stated.

Despite facing online attacks and personal threats, he defended the reform agenda, describing previous tax policies as short-term solutions that failed to address deeper structural issues.

“For most of my adult life, what we did with the tax system was like using painkillers. It never solved the problem. Now we are performing surgery. It will be painful, but it is the correct path,” he said.

Oyedele expressed confidence in Nigeria’s current reform trajectory, describing it as unprecedented and urging citizens to stay committed to long-term fiscal sustainability.

The Federal Government began enforcing the new tax framework on January 1, 2026, following the enactment of four key legislations: 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.