Oyedele made the denial in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, where he shared a screenshot of a media headline and watermarked it “Fake News.”
The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, has denied a report claiming that the Bola Tinubu-led government has paused the issuance of implementation guidelines for the new tax laws due to uncertainty.
Oyedele made the denial in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, where he shared a screenshot of a media headline and watermarked it “Fake News.”
The report had stated that the Nigerian government halted the issuance of guidelines for the implementation of the new tax laws, quoting Oyedele as having instructed the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) and the Joint Revenue Board (JRB) to wait because the final version of the laws was unclear.
According to the report, Oyedele had made the comments in Lagos on Tuesday while responding to questions after delivering a keynote address at the 2026 Economic Outlook event organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), themed “ICAN@60: Accountability as the Bedrock for National Development.”
During the event, Oyedele acknowledged concerns surrounding the authenticity of the versions of the tax laws currently in circulation.
He explained that the uncertainty prompted him to instruct his team to obtain a printed copy of the laws from the Government Printer, as stipulated by the Acts Authentication Act.
“The Acts Authentication Act says whatever the Government Printer publishes is the evidence of the law that was passed,” Oyedele said.
He noted that while the Government Printer initially published a version considered official by the executive, lawmakers later disputed it, insisting that it did not reflect what was passed by the National Assembly.
According to him, the legislature subsequently undertook its own review process and produced separate gazetted copies, which were shared in soft copy.
However, Oyedele said his team was unable to obtain a printed copy from the Government Printer, as officials reportedly informed them that all printed copies had been taken by the National Assembly and should not be made available to the public until lawmakers conclude their review.
“So, I also told everybody — the NRS, JRB — to wait, because we cannot issue guidelines. We are not 100 per cent certain that this is the final official position,” he said, adding that while legislative review is normal, the restriction on access had reintroduced uncertainty into the tax reform process.
Oyedele’s subsequent denial of the report on social media has triggered mixed reactions, with some users applauding his clarification while others accused him of contradicting his earlier remarks.
An X user, @Akin_Malaolu, questioned Oyedele’s consistency, alleging contradictions in his statements, while others, including @Gviev, accused opponents of the reforms of attempting to stall the new tax laws.
@Akin_Malaolu wrote: "Don't contradict yourself. Once it was made public that KPMG consulted with FIRS without any invitation to you, then get prepared to exit from the show. Retire the 5Billion given and make peace with yourself.
"The Tax laws remained suspended until further notice."
@Gviev wrote: "I knew it! I wanted to write fake news on the posts when i saw them. But i decided to wait for your response.
"The operators in the DARK ECONOMY desperately want the law stalled. THEY MUST PAY TAX."
@ST_BUCHI_, wrote: "Mr Taiwo @taiwoyedele , know this today, you must go to jail for this fraudulent tax law. This is a promise."
@dozieezedol wrote: "What have you and your boss provided for poor NIGERIANS (where are their basic amenities according to law)?? Organize a town hall meeting and come and give account of moneys borrowed from international communities."
@TundeJamiu5, wrote: "Sir, you can see what we’ve been battling before you came into office. This is what they want status quo."
For @degenius4u2 wrote: "Sir, can we get a full explanation about the 7.5% VAT on banking transactions because there are conflicting explanation on it will be implemented. So, please let hear from you."
@ensurewords wrote: "If you are suspending, state clearly the new date it will resume. Do not come and ambush us with backed bill, liability and penalty @taiwoyedele @OfficialNRSNG if you suspend, another a new date to commence, do not bring any back dating of tax liabilities. We want clarity."
However, several users expressed concerns and sought further clarification on specific aspects of the reforms, including the proposed 7.5 per cent VAT on banking transactions and the timeline for implementation.
Some also warned against retrospective application of tax liabilities.