The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, has said he faces threats to his safety over the federal government’s ongoing tax reforms, as he urged Nigerians who support the changes to speak out and counter growing public misinformation.

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

Addressing participants at the event, Oyedele said resistance to reform was inevitable because the changes affect entrenched interests, adding that implementing tax reforms required exceptional courage.

“Reforms are hard, and tax reforms are even harder. You need courage. I receive threats simply for trying to fix a broken system,” he said.

He explained that the reform process was being undermined by deep public mistrust of government, weak tax compliance culture and poor understanding of the relationship between taxes paid and public services delivered.

According to him, Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio remains far below that of comparable economies, making comprehensive reform unavoidable if the country is to fund development sustainably.

Oyedele called on citizens who agree with the reforms to be more vocal, warning that silence allows critics and vested interests to dominate public discourse.

He identified trust as a central challenge confronting the reform agenda. “The trust in government and within government is very low,” he said, noting that many Nigerians do not clearly understand their tax obligations due to years of weak tax culture.

The tax reform chairman also highlighted what he described as a major communication gap between government and the public, saying many Nigerians mistakenly believe new taxes are being introduced when existing taxes are actually being reduced and harmonised.

“Suddenly, there is a national awareness, and they just say, the people have come with taxes all over the place when actually, what the government is doing is to reduce those taxes they have been paying, and harmonise them,” he explained.

The federal government commenced enforcement of the new tax framework on January 1, 2026. The reforms are anchored on four key laws: 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.

Oyedele said pushing through the reforms carried significant political, economic and reputational risks, stressing that success depended on strong political will and personal resolve.

“You need that courage to push through, you need the courage to take risks, because it’s very risky,” he said.
Despite facing online abuse and threats, he defended the approach adopted by the committee, arguing that previous efforts to fix the tax system had focused on temporary solutions rather than structural change.

“What we have been doing all along, all my adult life with the tax system, was pain reliever. It hasn’t taken us far. It can’t take us far. Now we’re doing the surgery. It’s going to come with some pain, but that’s the only right thing to do,” he said.

Oyedele expressed optimism about the country’s direction, describing the current reform push as unprecedented in his lifetime and urging Nigerians to remain committed despite the challenges involved.