I Receive Death Threats Over Nigeria’s Tax Reforms, Laments Oyedele

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

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

According to him, driving reforms particularly tax reforms within a system that has long resisted change requires uncommon courage, as such efforts often challenge entrenched interests that benefit from inefficiencies.

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

He identified deep public mistrust in government, weak tax compliance culture, and poor understanding of fiscal exchange the link between taxes paid and public services delivered as some of the major challenges confronting the reform process.

Oyedele noted that Nigeria’s tax revenue remains significantly lower than that of comparable economies, stressing that comprehensive fiscal reforms are unavoidable if the country is to achieve sustainable development and reduce overdependence on borrowing.

He also called on Nigerians who support the tax reforms to be more vocal, warning that silence creates room for misinformation and allows opponents of reform to dominate public discourse.

“Those who believe in change must speak up. If they remain silent, the narrative will be controlled by those who want the system to remain broken,” he added.

The federal government has recently introduced sweeping tax reform measures aimed at widening the tax net, improving efficiency, and boosting revenue to fund critical public services, a move that has continued to generate intense public debate across the country.