By Israel Adebiyi
Ke re o! Ke re o!! Ke re o!!! Ki eku ile gbo, ko so fun to ko o. Mr. President has been emphatic. Just as he insisted when he said “subsidy is gone”, he has said again that the new tax reform laws will start as scheduled on January 1, 2026. Opposing voices can go and rethink their concerns, for President Tinubu, the tax man will see you in 2026. The same firmness, the same resolve, the same steel-edged certainty that has become the signature of this administration’s economic choices. And like the subsidy announcement, this too has unleashed a storm of opinions, doubts, anxiety and, for many, fear.
In my corner of the conversation, I have always insisted on accountability especially when it doesn’t add up. We live in a country where a jobless son of a pure water hawker can show up in a Mercedes Benz GLK Class and claim it is a miracle. After all, miracles no dey tire Jesus. But what we should be examining are the structures that make sudden wealth commonplace and often inexplicable. What we have heard from Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, is that under this new tax regime, such “miracles” will be subjected to scrutiny that rests on empirical data (the type Rufia Oseni always demand of his guests), intelligence, and accountable reporting. If you can’t explain sudden wealth, then yes, you go explain tire.
But before we decide whether this new tax law is friend or foe, we must step back and ask a more fundamental question: Why do we tax in the first place? Taxation, at its core, is not a punishment. It is the price of citizenship in any functioning society. It is how we pay for roads, schools, hospitals, police and military, clean water and bridges. It is the mechanism through which we collectively shoulder the burden of shared life. Without it, we rely on borrowing, which only pushes the cost onto future generations. Without it, we depend on oil alone, and when oil fails, as it always does, our economy collapses like a house of cards.
The government says the new tax laws will not introduce new taxes but rather broaden and modernise the system, collapsing multiple overlapping levies into a more coherent framework and streamlining revenue collection under the new Nigeria Revenue Service. President Tinubu has insisted that the reforms are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a fair, competitive and robust fiscal foundation for the country.
The controversy, however, has not been in the idea of reform itself but in the way these laws came into public view. In recent weeks, questions have emerged over discrepancies between what the National Assembly passed and what was gazetted as the final law. Some lawmakers have raised alarms about alterations in the harmonised versus gazetted copies, claiming that parts of the document signed by the president differ from what parliament approved. Critics have called for the laws to be suspended and an investigation launched to protect the integrity of the lawmaking process.
In response, Taiwo Oyedele has walked a fine line. On one hand, he insists that some of the controversial documents circulating are not the certified versions and ought to be treated with caution. On the other, he acknowledges that any real discrepancy should be treated seriously and, if necessary, remediated through proper legislative oversight. His central thrust is clear: delay will leave the current flawed tax regime in place, where low-income workers and small businesses remain overtaxed, and multiple nuisance levies continue to inflate the cost of basic goods and services.
This is the hard truth that many Nigerians struggle to accept. We do not resist taxes because we dislike collective responsibility. We resist because we do not trust that the money will be used for our benefit. We resist because too often the government asks without giving us a clear account of what it does with what it takes. When trust is lost, the social contract falters and taxation becomes tyranny in the minds of the people.
And that is precisely why accountability and transparency must be at the heart of this reform. It is not enough to overhaul tax laws on paper. The government must prove, every step of the way, that revenue collected transforms into visible progress. Clean hospitals. Functional schools. Roads that don’t disappear with the first rain. A justice system that works. Police whose first duty is to protect, not extort. This is the renewal we must see. Without it, the best-intentioned laws will remain abstract and irrelevant.
Another pillar of this reform must be awareness and sensitisation. Nigerians need to understand what exactly is changing, why it matters, and how it affects their daily lives. To his credit, Oyedele has been doing precisely that, speaking publicly, demystifying parts of the laws, and insisting that many workers will see their obligations reduced. Small businesses, he says, will be exempted from corporate tax, VAT and withholding tax in many cases, and larger companies will benefit from lower corporate rates.
This is where the conversation must shift from fear to facts. There is a difference between intuitive suspicion and informed critique. Too often in public discussions, speculation fills the vacuum created by lack of understanding. Tax reform is complex. It touches everything from how we earn to how we buy goods, how corporations contribute to national life, and how governments at all levels fund public services. To reduce it to rumours or social media hot takes is to do ourselves a disservice.
Yet, the clamour is not without merit. Public anxiety over fundamental changes to tax law is justified. This is not ordinary legislation. It redefines the relationship between the state and the citizen in economic terms. It asks more of each of us and asks more of the government in turn. If the government fails to bring citizens along through education, engagement, and accountability, the reforms risk becoming political lightning rods rather than economic lifelines.
It is also worth remembering that taxation without trust is welfare lost. Academic work on taxation shows that when citizens doubt the integrity and effectiveness of public spending, any additional tax becomes a disincentive rather than a contribution to public good. Trust is the hidden lubricant of any tax system. Without it, even well-designed taxes generate resistance.
So where does that leave us as we approach the dawn of 2026? We stand at a crossroads. On one path is the old way: a fragmented, inefficient, mistrusted system that chokes small businesses with multiple levies and sees the wealthiest contribute less than their fair share. On the other is a reformed structure that promises fairness, clarity and growth, if implemented with sincerity and followed with accountability.
The challenge is Nigeria’s to meet. The reform must not become another slogan. It must be woven into the fabric of daily life. This means listening to concerns, addressing misinformation with facts, and building public confidence through visible transformation. This means taxpayers, whether workers, entrepreneurs, or corporations, must feel that their contributions yield tangible returns.
We should also not lose sight of the broader truth that taxation is part of a social contract. It is the price of belonging to a society that expects more from itself. The government asks for revenue, and in return, it must deliver security, infrastructure, economic opportunity and justice. When that contract is honoured, citizens pay willingly. When it is broken, taxes become burdens and compliance falls.
This is not unique to Nigeria. Across the world, governments struggle to balance revenue generation with trust building. The difference here is that Nigeria has reached a point where we can no longer afford the old ways. The old system left too many outside the tax net, created inefficiencies and bred mistrust. The new laws seek to expand the net, simplify compliance, protect the vulnerable, and push the economy toward growth rather than extraction. Therein lies their promise.
But promise alone does not satisfy hungry stomachs or fix broken roads. The proof will be in implementation. As this new tax regime comes into force, citizens must be vigilant, engaged, informed and ready to hold their leaders to account. The state must be equally willing to open its books, explain its actions and demonstrate that taxes paid translate into public value.
In a society where too many see government as distant and indifferent, this reform is an opportunity to reshape that perception. It is a chance to reset the social contract, not just legally but morally. When citizens pay their dues and see the benefits of collective effort, the inevitable scepticism that surrounds taxation can be transformed into civic pride.
Yes, Mr President says there is no going back. But before we march forward, let us ensure we are stepping together, informed and confident that the path ahead, though demanding, is one that leads to a Nigeria where trust and accountability are not afterthoughts but foundations of progress. The work of sensitisation must continue, the dialogue must deepen, and above all, transparency must become more than rhetoric. Only then will this tax reform fulfill its promise of a stronger, fairer and more prosperous Nigeria.