The Federal Government has reiterated that there will be no reversal on the implementation of the newly enacted tax laws, confirming that they will take effect as scheduled from January 1.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the government had complied fully with due process, including wide consultations, legislative scrutiny, approvals and eventual assent by the President.
He stated that there is only one valid version of the tax laws, which was passed by the National Assembly and duly signed into law by the President.
“Government is going ahead with commencement of implementation, noting as changed,” Idris said.
Addressing reports alleging alterations in the gazetted copy of the Tax Administration Act, Idris, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja, said the matter was already before the National Assembly and that the executive would await the outcome of its investigation.
“I think it is important for us to wait for the National Assembly to look at this again to tell us whether there were discrepancies or not.
“This is, at this point, an affair of the National Assembly to which I have no jurisdiction, and I have no authority to speak about.
“As far as the government of Nigeria is concerned, there’s only one version of that tax document,” he said.
The minister made the remarks during a review of the Tinubu administration’s activities in 2025, where he outlined achievements as well as challenges.
His position was supported by the Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, and the immediate past Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Muhammad Nami.
Oyedele warned against relying on documents circulating publicly, noting that some of the materials being referenced were not genuine. He said confusion had arisen over what constituted the final and legally binding version of the bill passed by lawmakers.
According to him, the only authoritative copy is the harmonised version certified by the Clerk of the National Assembly and forwarded to the President.
“The official harmonised bills certified by the clerk, which the National Assembly sent to the President, we don’t have a copy to compare. Only the lawmakers can say authoritatively what was sent…
“Even I cannot say that I have it. I only have what was presented to Mr President to sign,” Oyedele said.
He also addressed controversy surrounding a widely circulated provision, particularly Section 41(8), which suggested a mandatory 20 per cent deposit.
Oyedele said he contacted the House of Representatives Committee on the matter and was informed that the committee had not met or taken any decision.
“I know that particular provision is not in the final gazette, but it was in the draft gazette,” he said, adding that the issue appeared to have been worsened by premature actions taken by unnamed individuals.
“Some people decided that they should write the report of the committee before the committee had met, and it had circulated everywhere,” he said.
He stressed that the document circulating in the media did not originate from the committee constituted by the House of Representatives and urged Nigerians to allow lawmakers to complete their investigation.
“What is out there in the media did not come from the committee set up by the House of Representatives. I think we should allow them to do their investigation,” Oyedele said during a television interview.
In a separate statement, Nami said the situation did not warrant protests or abandonment of the tax framework, but rather a thorough investigation, correction of any wrongdoing and punishment of those responsible.
He expressed concern over attempts to discard what he described as carefully developed tax laws, which he said were the result of years of research, investment and legislative work that began in 2022.
Nami warned that abandoning the reforms would amount to a waste of scarce national resources and damage institutional credibility. He urged Nigerians to support the National Assembly as it works to preserve peace and prevent the loss of investments already committed to the reform process.
He expressed optimism that, with coordinated action, the new tax provisions could still be implemented by January 2026.
According to him, the reforms are intended to seal leakages in the tax system, increase revenue for economic growth and development programmes, support debt servicing and budget deficits at all tiers of government, expand social welfare initiatives, strengthen security and deliver modern infrastructure capable of attracting foreign direct investment.
“Indeed, numerous provisions encourage governments at all levels to prioritise taxing prosperity over poverty and fruits over seeds so that SMEs can grow and provide employment opportunities to our youth, ultimately becoming taxpayers in the future,” Nami said.
He, however, alleged that the alterations to the Tax Administration Act were carried out at the point of gazetting by unidentified individuals, without the knowledge or approval of either the Presidency or the National Assembly.
Following an allegation raised by a lawmaker from Sokoto State, Abdulsamad Dasuki, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, set up an investigative committee.
Raising the issue under a matter of privilege, Dasuki, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, alleged that the tax laws passed by the House and Senate differed from those that were later gazetted and circulated.
Speaker Abbas informed members that the leadership had resolved to investigate the allegations to determine the truth of the matter.
The committee is chaired by Aliyu Mukthar Betara, with Ahmed Idris Wase, James Abiodun Faleke, Fred Agbedi, Igarewey Iduma Enwo and Babajimi Benson as members. The panel was tasked with probing the alleged doctoring of the tax reform laws.
Although no deadline was announced, the Speaker directed the committee to conduct its investigation and report back to the House.
President Bola Tinubu recently signed four major tax reform bills into law, a move the Federal Government described as the most comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s tax system in decades.
The laws, which take effect from January 1, 2026, were passed after intense debates and opposition from some lawmakers, particularly from the northern part of the country.
They include the Nigeria Tax Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, all to operate under a single authority known as the Nigeria Revenue Service.
According to the government, the reforms are designed to simplify tax compliance, broaden the tax base, eliminate multiple and overlapping taxes and modernise revenue collection across federal, state and local governments.
Despite resistance from various interest groups, including some state governors, the President declined calls by the National Economic Council to withdraw the bills, urging critics to raise their concerns during public hearings.
After further consultations, the bills were eventually passed, paving the way for the implementation of the new tax regime.
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