Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, has slammed critics who have raised concerns about tax legislation.
Speaking with Punch, he rebuffed requests for a pause, stressing that the legislation was “unstoppable” and would take effect on January 1, 2026.
Onanuga characterized the revisions as “revolutionary,” stating that the new regime would improve tax collection for the benefit of Nigerians. He dismissed requests for suspension as inconsistent with “right-thinking Nigerians.”
He stated, “The law was passed by the National Assembly. It has been approved by the President. And other people are only now waking up, despite the fact that they should have expressed their concerns far earlier.
“The law is unstoppable.” The implementation will commence, by God’s grace, on January 1, 2026. There is no reason to be afraid. This move will unify the majority of our various levies while also exempting low-income workers from taxation.
“But some individuals argue that it should be implemented? They clearly do not have the same values as Nigerians who think rationally.
“It is a revolutionary law that will increase our tax revenue for the benefit of all Nigerians.” For them to suggest we should not implement, it is too late to object. The law as it exists now is inexorable.
“It is already being implemented anyways.”
President Tinubu recently signed four key tax reform measures into law, marking what the administration calls the most comprehensive change of Nigeria’s tax system in decades.
The statutes are the Nigeria Tax Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, all of which are overseen by a single entity, the Nigeria Revenue Service.
The regulations are set to go into force on January 1, 2026, following a six-month transition period for public education and system alignment.
