Taiwo Oyedele, who leads the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, shared how his family was affected emotionally during the period of backlash over Nigeria’s new tax laws. He said that while the reforms brought challenges, the hardest part for him was seeing how it impacted his wife and family.

He spoke about this on Channels Television’s Politics Today after President Bola Tinubu signed four new tax-related bills into law. Oyedele said that during the heat of the controversy, his home became a place of stress due to negative stories being shared about him online and in the media.

He explained that many people posted false information, which caused serious emotional stress for his wife. According to him, she started holding night vigils, praying every night for his safety and strength, even though it left her tired during the day. He was grateful that their children are still very young and didn’t understand what was happening.

Oyedele was appointed in July 2023 by President Tinubu to lead efforts to reform Nigeria’s tax system. Since then, he has been at the center of debates about how these reforms would affect different parts of the country. Some state governors strongly opposed some of the changes, saying they might reduce money going to the states.

Despite these criticisms, Oyedele believes the new tax laws are important for economic growth. He said they are not meant to punish people, but to stop tax cheats and make things easier for businesses and low-income earners. He also pointed out that he didn’t take a large salary for the role and only asked the government to cover the costs of his work. He felt that making a difference was more important than being paid.

He added that the aim of the reforms is not to increase taxes for Nigerians but to make the system fair and easy to understand. He said honest people who are trying to fix the country should not be discouraged, as it is already difficult to work in the public sector.

The four new tax bills signed into law are: the Nigeria Tax Bill (Ease of Doing Business), the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill. These laws are meant to create one clear and united tax system across the country and will also replace the Federal Inland Revenue Service with a new body, the Nigeria Revenue Service.

President Tinubu said the new tax laws are a key part of his plans to grow Nigeria’s economy. Even though the reforms caused debate at first, the government insists that many people and groups were consulted and that concerns, especially from governors, have been addressed.

These new laws are planned to start working from January 2026.