Oyedele Says Alleged ‘Forged’ Provisions Did Not Originate From National Assembly Committees
The Presidency has reacted to growing controversy surrounding Nigeria’s newly signed tax reform laws, rejecting claims that the versions made public differ from what was passed by the National Assembly.
The debate intensified after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and several civil society organisations called for the suspension of the laws’ implementation, citing alleged discrepancies in the documents.
The issue was first raised by a member of the House of Representatives, Abdulsamad Dasuki, who alleged that the tax laws signed into effect and later gazetted contained provisions that lawmakers neither debated nor approved. He argued that the situation amounted to a breach of legislative process and undermined the authority of the National Assembly.
Responding to the allegations, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, described the documents circulating in the media as unauthorised and misleading.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Monday, Oyedele said there was currently no official basis for comparing the laws passed by lawmakers with the versions being discussed publicly.
“Before anyone can claim there is a difference between what was passed and what was gazetted, we must first establish what was officially passed,” he said. “The harmonised bills certified by the Clerk of the National Assembly and transmitted to the President are not publicly available. Only the lawmakers can authoritatively state what they sent.”
Oyedele explained that even members of the tax reform committee only had access to the documents presented to President Bola Tinubu for assent, not the final harmonised legislative copies.
Addressing concerns over a controversial provision reportedly requiring a 20 per cent tax deposit under Section 41(8), Oyedele said the clause appeared only in a draft version and was not included in the final gazetted law.
According to him, the House committee responsible for the bill confirmed that it had not met to deliberate on the issue at the time the disputed document was circulated.
“What is currently being shared in the media did not come from the House of Representatives committee,” Oyedele said, adding that the lawmakers should be allowed to complete their investigation into the matter.
President Bola Tinubu recently signed four major tax reform bills into law, describing them as the most comprehensive restructuring of Nigeria’s tax system in decades. The laws, which faced strong opposition from some northern lawmakers before their passage, are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.
The new legislation includes the Nigeria Tax Act, Nigeria Tax Administration Act, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, all to be administered under a single authority, the Nigeria Revenue Service.
The Federal Government says the reforms are aimed at simplifying tax compliance, broadening the tax base, reducing multiple taxation, and modernising revenue collection across federal, state, and local governments.
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