₦airaland Forum

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, on Tuesday said Nigeria could no longer rely mainly on borrowing to fund development, warning that the country must build a sustainable fiscal system capable of supporting critical sectors of the economy.

Oyedele stated this while speaking at the 28th Annual Tax Conference of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria in Abuja.

The minister’s remarks came barely 24 hours after The PUNCH exclusively reported that the Federal Government had intensified engagement with the World Bank over a fresh $1.25bn loan targeted at supporting economic reforms, job creation and competitiveness.

“Nigeria cannot continue to finance development primarily through borrowing. We must build a fiscal system capable of sustainably supporting critical infrastructure, quality education, affordable healthcare, security, and social protection,” he said.

He added that sustainability was not only about generating revenue but also about promoting growth, reducing inequality, protecting vulnerable groups, and encouraging productivity.

According to him, the Federal Government’s ongoing tax reforms are designed to make the economy more investment-friendly while improving fiscal sustainability.

Oyedele said the reforms were necessary because Nigeria’s tax system had long suffered from structural weaknesses, including multiple taxation, fragmented administration, weak compliance, and overdependence on a narrow revenue base.

“Businesses faced overlapping debts, unpredictable enforcements, and rising compliance costs. Citizens often perceived the tax system as unfair because the burden was unevenly distributed,” he said.

He noted that the situation had become unsustainable because government revenues remained insufficient to meet the country’s development needs.

The minister said the reforms were aimed at building a stronger fiscal foundation for long-term national development rather than introducing changes for their own sake.

“Our approach is guided by a simple principle: a good tax system should raise revenue efficiently, support economic growth, protect the vulnerable, and strengthen trust between governments and citizens,” Oyedele said.

He explained that the reforms sought to simplify the tax system, improve fairness, encourage investment, and reduce distortions within the economy.

Oyedele also disclosed that minimum wage earners had been exempted from personal income tax under the ongoing reforms, while the burden on low- and middle-income earners had been reduced.

On corporate taxation, he said the government was proposing reductions in companies’ income tax rates to improve Nigeria’s attractiveness as an investment destination.

Oyedele further said the government was modernising the Value Added Tax framework by expanding input VAT credits and clarifying exemptions for essential goods and services.

“This reduces cost buildup within the economy and improves efficiency across the value chain. This also helps to moderate inflation,” he said.

The minister also lamented the burden of multiple taxes and levies on businesses, saying the government was working with subnational governments to harmonise taxes and reduce compliance costs.

He disclosed that 15 states had already enacted tax harmonisation laws and urged other states to follow suit.

Oyedele stressed that technology would play a central role in the future of tax administration in Nigeria.

“We are therefore prioritising data integration, automation, digital filing systems, and a technology-driven compliance framework,” he said.

The minister, however, acknowledged that challenges remained, including weak institutional capacity, informal sector integration, and public trust issues.

Also speaking at the conference, Nigeria’s Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, defended the Federal Government’s tax reforms, describing them as pro-people and pro-business policies aimed at lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty and repositioning the economy for sustainable growth.


Represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs in the Office of the Vice-President, Dr Tope Fasua, Shettima said the Tinubu administration envisioned an economy where ordinary Nigerians could prosper irrespective of social background.

He added that the administration was working towards making Nigerian-made products globally competitive while transforming the country’s tax administration into a benchmark for Africa.

The Vice-President acknowledged that one of the biggest hurdles confronting the reforms was public scepticism and misinformation surrounding the policy changes.

“Many Nigerians simply cannot believe it because it has never happened before,” he said, while insisting that President Bola Tinubu was neither anti-business nor anti-people, but committed to creating an environment where Nigerians could thrive.

Shettima also stressed the need for aggressive public sensitisation on the reforms.

He described tax reform as more than a fiscal policy exercise, saying it should be seen as “an act of patriotism” that can lay the foundation for national prosperity.

Earlier, the 17th President and Chairman of the Council of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Innocent Ohagwa, described the newly introduced tax regime as the most comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s fiscal structure in more than three decades.

Ohagwa said the reforms aligned with the administration’s ambition of growing Nigeria into a $1tn economy by the end of the decade.

He noted that the country had historically struggled with weak revenue generation and excessive dependence on borrowing, but argued that the ongoing reforms were beginning to reverse the trend.

According to him, Nigeria’s revenue-to-debt servicing ratio, which stood at 120 per cent in December 2022, declined to 68 per cent by the end of 2025.

Ohagwa said broadening the tax base and simplifying the tax code would help Nigeria transition “from a nation that borrows to survive to one that invests to thrive.”

He added that the reforms would also help curb illicit financial flows, reduce informality in the economy, and strengthen accountability by improving the National Revenue Service’s technological surveillance.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, commended the reforms and said the country required “radical reformers” across all sectors to achieve meaningful development.

Former Edo State Governor and senator, Adams Oshiomhole, also backed the reforms, arguing that taxation remained central to governance and national development.

Oshiomhole said governments do not create wealth directly but rely on taxes to provide infrastructure, healthcare, education, and social safety nets.

He argued that wealthy Nigerians should contribute more to development efforts, noting that individuals earning above N20m monthly and owners of private jets should face higher tax obligations, as in advanced economies.

The former governor also urged Nigerians to make taxation a major issue in political debates.

In her welcome address, the Chairperson of the conference and National Chairperson of the Society of Women in Taxation, Caroline Ndubisi, described the gathering as a crucial platform for shaping the future of Nigeria’s tax system.

Ndubisi said taxation remained central to Nigeria’s economic transformation and called for tax systems that were fair, transparent, and trusted by citizens.

She also urged tax professionals to see themselves not merely as interpreters of tax laws but as “advocates of economic stability.”

The conference, themed “Tax Reforms and Global Relevance: Positioning Nigeria’s Tax System for Sustainable Future,” focused on the need for transparency, inclusiveness, and stronger public trust in fiscal governance..

Putinofrussia:
This your wailing forgot to state that Tinubu had paid off almost $11 billion he met on ground.
As a matter of fact,he has paid off all Nigeria's IMF loan.
Apart from the high cost of living which is global and the legacy problem of insecurity,Tinubu has performed creditably better than all previous govts combined.

Buba Galadima, Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, has called on Nigerians defend their votes in the 2027 elections with “bottles and jerry cans of kerosene”.

Also, he hinted that key opposition figures, such as Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, would leave the African Democratic Congress, ADC, by Monday for a new political platform.

Galadima said these at a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement in Abuja on Saturday.

Vanguard had reported that supporters of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso were holding a unity summit in Abuja today, in a move seen as part of efforts to align political interests ahead of the 2027 elections. Read the full story HERE.

‘Defend your votes’
According to Galadima, “Salvaging a country from the hands of fascists like this is not an easy thing. It needs sacrifice, strategy and the use of the internet.

“So, ladies and gentlemen, be prepared to be in the trenches to safeguard our freedom. Let no one deceive you that it is going to be an easy task.


“In your revolution, I expect you to say, come rain, come shine, we must democratically, through the ballot box, remove this bad government. The ball is in our court.

“And during the elections, whether I am alive or dead, go to the polling centres with your bottles and jerry cans of kerosene. Either they do what is right, or we all die there. So there will be no beneficiary.”

Peter Obi, Kwankwaso defection loom
On the looming defections, Galadima told journalists, “As from Monday, when our leaders declare on which platform they will run, I want to tell you that one of two things will happen. And I’m here to guide you on your response to what will happen.

“First, they will sponsor columnists. Two, they will deploy social media influencers to start attacking our candidates.

“For all of you who are on social media and those of you with the mighty pen, you must be prepared to respond to anything they are going to say.


“Anything under the sun that they may say about our leaders that we know very well – people of integrity and honour – we must come to them with the ferociousness that is needed of an intelligent man.”

Obapluto:
you think politics is by chochocho lmao.... u go learn! President Tinubu always praise Wike in any time he's questioned.. you think it's Moi Moi abi

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has shared a personal and humorous anecdote about a “rapture scare” he experienced, using the story to warn couples against the danger of going to bed with unresolved conflicts.

Addressing congregants during the May 2026 Holy Ghost Service at Redemption City, the octogenarian cleric emphasised that the uncertainty of the timing of the rapture should be a primary motivation for maintaining peace within the home.

Recounting an incident during a trip to the United States, Adeboye described the moment he woke up in the middle of the night and could not find his wife, Pastor Folu Adeboye, on the bed.

“I woke up, looked to my side, and my wife wasn’t there. I thought she had gone to the toilet,” he said.

After checking the ensuite toilet and another one in the sitting room, only to find them empty, he said panic began to set in.

He continued, “I went to the sitting room because there’s another toilet there. The toilet there was empty, so I used it. Then I came back, and my wife was still not in bed. Ah, what is she doing? So I went to the toilet in the bedroom, and she was not there.

“I went back to the living room, and I checked the door. The door was locked from the inside. Ah.”

“I sat on the bed, and I was trembling,” the cleric confessed.

“In the cold air-conditioned room, I was sweating. Oh, God, you mean she’s gone, and I’m left behind. Almighty God, what have I done? Why have you left me behind?” he said.

According to him, the scare lasted until the Holy Spirit reminded him that his wife had not actually accompanied him on that trip to America.

“Thank God for the Holy Spirit. When all of a sudden I remember on that particular trip, she didn’t come with me,” he said.

While the story drew laughter from the congregation, Adeboye used the anecdote to drive home a point about marital reconciliation.

He cited the biblical prophecy that during the rapture, “two shall be in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.”

“That is one of the reasons why I don’t go to bed with any unresolved issue between my wife and me,” he explained. “I don’t want God to come and take her away and leave me on the bed.”

Adeboye, who has been married since 1967, told the audience that he remains on a “honeymoon” because “under no circumstance will I go to bed without settling with my wife.”

“The sun must not go down on your wrath,” the cleric warned couples.

“Ask members of my family,” he concluded. “They will tell you the last prayer I pray every night is: ‘Lord, if you return before tomorrow morning, don’t leave us behind.'”

PUNCH reported earlier that Adeboye had shared a set of marital guidelines for young men and women, warning that marrying for beauty alone or ignoring practical foundations could lead to a “deep trap.”

He was also reported to have stated that Nigeria’s next president, ahead of the 2027 general elections, has already been determined by God, and that divine will ultimately prevail

yarimo:
NDC will be in disarray, any party that want it to be in a disarray should just invite kwankwaso or obi into that party

UK government justifies its officials attending ADC national convention as part of standard diplomatic practice UK supports Nigeria's democratic processes through engagement with political and civic stakeholders British High Commission emphasizes commitment to credible and peaceful elections in Nigeria

The government of the United Kingdom has opened up on the reason some of its officials attended the African Democratic Congress (ADC) national convention in Abuja.

Legit.ng reports that the ADC held its national convention on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at the Rainbow Event Centre in the Garki area of Abuja.

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said attending such engagements is part of standard diplomatic practice. From breaking news to viral moments. Follow Legit.ng on Instagram. The FCDO spokesperson said the commission routinely engages political and civic stakeholders in Nigeria.

The official said the commission also supports Nigeria’s democratic institutions and processes “in line with international diplomatic practice”. As reported by Premium Times, the FCDO spokesperson said attendance at some of its official political events is routine. The spokesperson stated this while reacting to the ADC leaders' statement that the UK delegation was led by the British High Commission’s Political Secretary, Thomas Samson, and included a Nigerian staff member from the mission, Damilola Oyedele. “Officials from the British High Commission, like other international missions, are invited to and routinely attend a range of events and meetings, including those hosted by political parties.

“Attendance of these events reflects the UK Government’s commitment to and engagement with the democratic process in Nigeria.” The UK official said the British government supports credible, inclusive, and peaceful elections in Nigeria. The FCDO spokesperson explained that it is done through cooperation focused on democratic governance, institutional strengthening, and electoral integrity.

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, in the State have disagreed over reasons local government council staff were not getting paid at the council.

The Governor had during a stakeholders meeting in the State disclosed that his administration shouldering of LG workers’ salary stalled some of his ongoing projects as the APC council officials have hijacked the fund to the tune of N300billion.

But the APC blamed the Governor for inciting senior local government workers not to release payment vouchers to blackmail the party, saying he responsible for the stalled projects not the APC reinstated council officials.

Adeleke, in a statement issued by his spokesperson Olawale Rasheed explained that the state has to shoulder the responsibility of paying local teachers, health workers, pensioners and local government workers for more than one year now

“If Osun APC lacks conscience by diverting funds meant for local workers to their personal use, I cannot do it. I cannot abandon local workers who the court sacked APC chairmen intend to punish by criminally hijacking and diverting LG funds in open violation of local government finance laws. The workers have families and their own needs. Why should a party decides to hate and punish workers for no just reason? So the state government has been footing the bills all along.

"If we had refused to financially sustain the local workforce, local health and education services would have collapsed by now, hardship at the local level would have increased. The pain would be too much to bear for our grassroots people. So we have been using money for state projects to sustain the local workforce. Close to N300 billion of state money is trapped and hijacked by the Osun APC.

APC reacts
Reacting, the APC in a statement by its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi berated the Governor for embarking on cheap blackmail, saying he (Governor) was responsible for workers at the grassroots not getting paid, having instructed that payment vouchers should not be released.

“The governor’s false statement would have been laced with honour if he had disclosed to the innocent and discerning minds in the state and beyond that he is the one responsible for the non-payment of the salaries and allowances of the said primary school teachers, health workers and others by his blatant refusal to release the electronic salary vouchers of the local government staff and primary school teachers.

“The actuarial valuation registers for the pensioners, vouchers of this valuation properly audited; data showing compilation of leave bonuses; data showing compilation of co-operative investment deductions and data showing compilation of check-off dues to trade unions properly audited, despite several appeals to the governor by the reinstated local government council chairmen.

“The actuarial register contains the quantum of money due to each worker as the value of past services rendered to the government and this is what is called Bond which the reinstated council executives are ready to back up with funds and be released to the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to facilitate payment of money for the retirees in the various local government council areas.

“These pensioners must know now that there are enough funds to take care of their Bond Certificates if only they could plead with the governor to allow them to be free.


"We assure the affected workers that their entitlements would be promptly settled by the reinstated local government council chairmen immediately the highly vindictive Governor Adeleke relaxes his hold on the vital documents for the payment of the salaries and allowances”, the party added

A fresh political skirmish has broken out between the camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Presidency, after a senior aide to President Bola Tinubu suggested that the incumbent “must complete eight years” in office before power returns to the North.

The row over rotation was triggered by remarks made by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, who, reacting to a live interview Atiku granted Arise TV, invoked the North-South power rotation convention to argue that the South must retain the presidency until 2031, having succeeded a northern president who served two terms.

The comments drew an immediate and pointed response from Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku Abubakar, who dismissed the argument as unconstitutional, anti-democratic and driven by fear of a credible opposition.

Shaibu, writing on his X handle @phrankangel, challenged the legal and moral basis of Onanuga’s position, insisting that no presidential aide had the authority to reduce Nigeria’s democracy to a regional entitlement arrangement. “Power rotation is a political convention, not a constitutional decree — and certainly not a tool to silence credible opposition,” he wrote.

Shaibu accused the Presidency of hypocrisy, arguing that those now championing rotation had themselves ignored zoning within their own party when it suited their interests. “The same people who shredded zoning within their own party when it suited them now pretend to be its custodians. Hypocrisy has never worn such a cheap costume,” Shaibu said.

He also pushed back against the suggestion that zoning cost Atiku the 2023 presidential election, attributing that outcome instead to what he called institutional interference and electoral irregularities.

“The 2023 election was not lost because of zoning. It was lost through a toxic cocktail of state-backed interference, institutional compromise, and electoral irregularities that Nigerians have not forgotten,” he wrote.

Shaibu further took issue with any political reference to the death of former President Umaru Yar’Adua as justification for arguments about rotational equity, describing such reasoning as morally indefensible.

“Invoking the unfortunate passing of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as a political excuse in 2026 is not just disingenuous — it is morally bankrupt,” he said.

On the central question of Tinubu’s tenure, Shaibu said, “The notion that Tinubu ‘must complete eight years’ is the most anti-democratic statement anyone can make in a constitutional republic. Presidents are not crowned for eight years — they are elected, and they can be voted out. That is the essence of democracy your camp seems to have conveniently forgotten.”


He also defended the opposition’s coalition-building efforts, dismissing Onanuga’s comments about Peter Obi’s reported departure from the African Democratic Congress as evidence of panic within the ruling camp. “You don’t dictate who joins or leaves a coalition — you only expose your fear when you try. If your government had anything solid to campaign on, you wouldn’t be busy hallucinating cracks in the opposition.

“Atiku does not need your permission to run. He does not need validation from aides who confuse loyalty with noise. And come 2027, it will not be aides, nor propaganda, nor recycled talking points that decide Nigeria’s future — it will be the Nigerian people. And they are watching. Closely,” he said

JuanDeDios:
Miscreants at APC convention? Were the miscreants part of APC or part of the convention?

APC Tolerating, Accommodating Wike Because Of Existing Pact — Yilwadta


ABUJA – The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has taken a swipe at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, saying the party is tolerating and accommodating him.

The party’s national chairman stated that despite the differences in political parties, APC has continued to work closely with Wike because of the existing agreement between the ruling party and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Fielding questions from newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday shortly after meeting with APC stakeholders, following disputes arising from ongoing congresses of the APC in the Federal Capital Territory, Prof. Yilwatda noted that Wike has not formally decamped to the APC.

He added that the minister is honouring a working relationship, which the party entered with the PDP after the minister wrote and obtained permission from his party to serve in the ruling APC.

The APC national chairman expressed concern over the conflict of interests between foundation members of the party in the FCT and defectors from the PDP, who were accused of trying to hijack the APC.

He cautioned the founding party members not to abandon the APC to defectors from other parties due to pressure.

Earlier, Prof. Yilwatda disclosed that over N250 million has been set aside for the ward and state congresses in the FCT and he appealed to the stakeholders to put aside tribal, religious, ethnic and other divisive sentiments and unite as the APC plans ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said: “There must be harmony in decision making processes in the sharing of elective and appointive positions to ensure balance and to give everyone a sense of belonging in the APC.”

He advised that all the tribes should be accommodated through a process that encourages inclusiveness, diversity, tolerance and love based on shared commitment for the success of the party in the next elections.

There are palpable fears that some miscreants, who sneaked into Abuja, using the cover of recent political party conventions, may pose security challenges in the nation’s capital.

Findings showed that a great number of them have crept into various suburbs surrounding the FCT with the aim of possibly adding to the growing number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), thereby posing a huge security threat to the nation’s capital.

Many among the party’s supporters claimed they were disappointed by politicians who brought them to Abuja but couldn’t pay for return to their respective states after the support they provided during the conventions.

Abdulahi Ladan, came to Abuja for the APC convention through an organised transportation system. But he was left behind after a disagreement between a contracted transportation company and a gubernatorial aspirant from Kebbi State.

Abdulahi is not alone in this mess. Thousands of party supporters who came from various states to support political aspirants were abandoned at Eagle Square, Abuja, to their fate after the events.

Consequently, security agencies are doubling efforts to weed out miscreants who besieged the FCT, to keep unwanted visitors out of the city following the APC convention.

A police constable with the FCT Police Command, Ganiyu Umar (not real name), decried the manner in which politicians use the poor to climb the ladder of fortune: “We have been working, chasing those of them who have refused to leave the FCT after the conventions. but some claim those politicians who brought them left unnoticed with the vehicles. Some also alleged that the transport companies that brought them left because there was a breach of contract and possibly their money was not paid.

“Security situation in the FCT may rise if nothing is done to flush these unwanted visitors out of the FCT. This is how insecurity gets out of hand. This is how a capital city is infested of terrorist groups.

“In most cases, those who were dumped in Abuja after the conventions jumped into the moving vehicle on hearing that it heads to Abuja for political rallies. We have worked hard to get them out of the Eagles Square, as many have refused to go.

“And this is because they found the place comfortable to sleep during and after the two-day event. And after sending them away, they headed nowhere because no one was checking their movements. As I speak to you, the police are aware that so many of them had no intention of heading back to their various states.

There must be a system of checking the influx of people into the FCT, the capital of Nigeria.”

Elizabeth Paul said: “You don’t need to listen to these people. They are lying about the inability of their drivers to convey them back to their respective states. This is because they do not have states of their own. After today, they will become indigenes of the FCT. That is the Nigerian way of doing things.”

Christopher Ukaonu, argued that many who trooped into the FCT were not screened before coming in for the conventions: “What happened at the Eagle Square, Abuja, on the day of the convention was total security breach in the nation’s capital.

“I need no soothsayer to know that many of them came into Abuja pretending as party supporters. Some came from the North, some from the West and what have you. And do not forget that the United States has raised a security alert owing to the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

“From what I gathered, many of them have been sighted under the bridges and in some uncomplicated structures within the Federal Secretariat.

“After the conventions, many of them walked a long distance to nowhere and that was witnessed by many FCT residents, who asked suspicious questions about the strange figures wearing APC-branded T-shirts of different colours.

They were seen trekking as far as neighbouring Nasarawa State, Area One, and the Kubwa axis.”

Muktar Zango, who came from Zamfara State in support of a gubernatorial aspirant for the 2027 election, spoke through an interpreter: “Yes, Abdulahi mu’ ke’ so. We came to provide support to him and he is going to win in sha Allah! But we are still waiting for the motor to come back and take us back because we don’t have money. We don’t know what is holding him up. May be the driver has problem of buying fuel. But we are still waiting.”

Some believe that the disorder that broke out at Eagle Square in Abuja during APC National Convention, was caused by unwanted criminals, with reports of security operatives using tear gas on attendees, including delegates and journalists.

The situation was described as disorderly, with large crowds struggling to enter the venue, causing bottlenecks and loss of valuable items by dignitaries. Malachi Micheal, a federal civil servant, said the event was marked by chaos, logistical failures and security breaches apart from widespread sanitation issues:

“The environment at the Eagles Square venue was chaotic due to problems that led to security personnel tear-gassing delegates, journalists and party supporters, causing panic and leaving many struggling to breathe.

“There was also crowd mismanagement. Many participants were denied access despite having tags, with foreign delegates complaining of ill-treatment and theft.

“There were reports of fighting, injuries reaching 38 and chaotic scenes with supporters scrambling for safety. There were reports of some attendees being offered small sums of money

owobokiri:
I heard that all they do now is to loot the budget.