…Oyedele said, “I receive threats simply for attempting to repair a system that is fundamentally broken,”
ABUJA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | Taiwo Oyedele, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, has revealed that he has been subjected to death threats over his role in driving Nigeria’s far-reaching tax reform agenda.
Oyedele made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja at a governance colloquium held to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hajiya Hadiza Bala-Usman.
He said advancing the reforms demands uncommon bravery, especially within a system that has historically resisted structural change.
“Reforms are difficult, and tax reforms are even more challenging. They require courage. I receive threats simply for attempting to repair a system that is fundamentally broken,” Oyedele said.
He identified entrenched public distrust in government, a weak culture of tax compliance, and limited understanding of how taxes translate into public value as major hurdles confronting the reform process.
Oyedele noted that Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio remains significantly lower than that of comparable economies, making comprehensive fiscal reforms unavoidable.
He explained that contrary to public perception, the reforms are not about imposing new taxes but streamlining and reducing existing ones.
“There is a growing narrative that the government has introduced taxes everywhere, whereas what we are actually doing is cutting down the number of taxes people pay and harmonising them,” he said.
According to him, implementing such changes comes with significant personal and professional risks, but they are necessary for long-term economic stability.
“You must have the courage to push through and the willingness to take risks, because this process is risky,” he added.
Oyedele likened Nigeria’s past tax management approach to treating symptoms rather than addressing root causes, stressing that the current reforms represent a more fundamental intervention.
“For most of my adult life, our tax system has relied on temporary fixes. That approach has not delivered results. What we are doing now is surgery. It will be painful, but it is the only path that can truly fix the system,” he said.
