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Oyedele: 98% of workers to be exempted from PAYE
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Majority of Nigerian workers will not pay tax on what they earn when the new law takes effect in January.
Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, said about 98 per cent of Nigerian workers will be exempted from Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) .
Oyedele spoke during a session at the ongoing 31st Nigerian Economic Summit (NES31) in Abuja.
Under the new tax structure, he said, poor Nigerians would be exempted from personal income tax, while high-net-worth individuals would be subject to higher rates.
“The poor will not pay personal income tax,” he said.
“Those who earn more and have greater means will pay more. That is how fairness works in a modern economy.”
Oyedele stated that small and low-income companies would also enjoy tax exemptions to strengthen their operations and create more jobs.
He said: “We are considering tax-exempt stickers for nano businesses to protect them from harassment by state and local government officials.
“These are the smallest operators — street vendors, petty traders, artisans — they should be allowed to thrive.”
He explained that the tax reforms are designed to protect low-income earners and those living around the poverty line, while ensuring a more equitable and efficient tax system.
“The more inequality you create, the more time bomb you have,” Oyedele said.
“These reforms are designed to strengthen governance around revenue generation, improve accountability, and ensure that tax revenues are effectively utilised.”
According to him, the comprehensive tax reforms, which form part of President Bola Tinubu’s broader fiscal policy agenda, aim to enhance Nigeria’s sovereign credit rating, lower borrowing costs for both government and businesses, and stimulate private-sector investment.
Oyedele said the reform effort was not without personal risk, revealing that he had received death threats because of his role in driving the initiative.
“Reform is tough,” he said. “I have suffered all kinds of things, including death threats. But I am not scared. I recently celebrated my 50th birthday.
“Even if anything happens, I have done my bit. The reforms belong to Nigerians. The reforms don’t belong to Mr. President.”
He said the reforms seek to build a fairer system in which wealthy individuals and large corporations contribute more to the country’s development.
“If we don’t pay our taxes in an orderly manner, we’ll pay them in a disorderly manner.
“We’ve seen that in the past few years with over N30 trillion printed, which is part of the inflation we’re dealing with and the devaluation of the naira.
“We don’t want that to happen. We’ve seen countries like Zimbabwe where prices double every other day.”
Responding to concerns that state and local governments might resist the reforms, Oyedele assured that members of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), representing all 36 states and the FCT, were fully part of the committee’s deliberations and had expressed support for the new framework.
According to him, the new system would not deprive states of revenue but would, in fact, help them earn more from the Federation Account without burdening vulnerable citizens.
“Last year, all the states generated N3.36 trillion from taxes imposed on their people,” he said.
“If that N3.36 trillion is not generated in 2026, the states will not do worse. We are convinced that no state will be bankrupt. We can’t do better by not taxing our most vulnerable.”
Oyedele cited recent improvements in national revenue distribution as evidence that the fiscal reforms were already beginning to yield results.
“Last month, the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) shared N2.2 trillion to the three tiers of government,” he said.
He also criticised outdated and regressive tax provisions that burden the poor, citing examples such as the so-called “wheelbarrow tax.”
“Some of the tax provisions in our constitution are retrogressive,” Oyedele said.
“How will you ask anyone to pay wheelbarrow tax? That is why we have sent ten amendment proposals to the National Assembly to amend sections that need to change in line with the tax reforms.”
According to him, the committee is also working on expenditure reforms to ensure that tax revenues are used efficiently and transparently.
“We have worked on the expenditure side,” he explained.
“We are working seriously on fiscal regimes to ensure transparency and prudence in government expenditure so that Nigerians get full benefits of their taxes.”
Promotion exercise for over 13,000 civil servants in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) will start today.
Chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, Engr Emeka Ezeh, who made this known on Wednesday, said the exercise was as approved by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The promotion exercise, which will commence today, will be on for a period of ten days, with over 13,000 civil servants participating across 150 cadres and grades.
The statement read; “As part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President, the Honourable Minister of FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, has approved the promotion exercise for over 13,000 FCT Civil Servants for the year 2025.
“The exercise is expected to commence on July 1, 2026 for a period of ten days.
“The Minister further directed the Commission to ensure that 2026 promotion is also conducted before the end of the year to ensure all eligible officers are given the opportunity to grow in the service. He directed the Commission to work with all relevant agencies of FCTA to ensure a hitchfree exercise such that all isues which arose from the previous exercise do not repeat themselves.”
He assured all candidates that arrangements have been concluded to ensure this year exercise is hitch free, pleading with participants to be patient during the exercise while wishing them the best of luck in the CBT promotion exercise.
Recall that the FCT Civil Service Commission blazed the trail as the first Civil service Commission to conduct its promotion exercise by CBT in 2024 barely six months after inauguration in March 2024.
Pope Leo has appointed two Nigerians to key positions in the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization.
According to Fides News Agency, the appointments were announced alongside those of three other African Catholic leaders.
Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins of Lagos was named a member of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches), one of the Vatican’s principal departments responsible for missionary activities and the establishment of new local Churches.
Also appointed as a consultor of the same Dicastery is Father Wenceslaus C. Madu, C.M.F., Vice-Chancellor of the Claretian University of Nigeria, Nekede.
Other African appointees as members of the Dicastery are Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, OFM Cap, Archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Bamenda, Cameroon.
Archbishop François Sylla of Conakry, Guinea, was also appointed as a consultor.
The appointments are expected to strengthen African representation in the Vatican’s evangelization mission and governance of new particular Churches.
The Nigerian Army has warned that terrorist and criminal groups were increasingly exploiting cyberspace to recruit members, raise funds, coordinate attacks and spread propaganda, describing the trend as a growing threat to Nigeria’s national security.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, raised the alarm on Tuesday at the 2026 Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare School Seminar in Abuja.
Represented by the Deputy Chief of Special Services and Programmes, Maj.-Gen. Jeremiah Manjang, the Army Chief said cyberspace has evolved into a strategic battlefield where both state and non-state actors operate with unprecedented speed, making security threats more complex and difficult to counter.
He noted that hostile actors no longer require physical presence to disrupt critical infrastructure, compromise sensitive information, manipulate public opinion or undermine national security through anonymous cyber attacks.
According to him, terrorism, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, separatist agitations, organised crime, misinformation and disinformation are increasingly being enabled, coordinated and amplified through digital platforms and cyber networks.
“The reality is that terrorist and criminal groups now exploit cyberspace for recruitment, propaganda, fundraising, intelligence gathering, attack coordination and concealment of illicit financial transactions. This demands a proactive and coordinated national response,” he said.
Shaibu said the changing nature of security threats had compelled the Nigerian Army to strengthen its cyber capabilities to effectively address complex, asymmetric and technology-driven challenges.
He called for stronger cyber intelligence capabilities driven by artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and advanced data analytics to improve early warning systems, threat detection and predictive security analysis.
The COAS also advocated deeper collaboration among government institutions, the military, law enforcement agencies, academia and the private sector, stressing that cybersecurity can no longer be handled by a single institution.
He emphasised the need for sustained investment in indigenous cyber capabilities, research, technological innovation and human capacity development to protect Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and enhance national resilience against emerging threats.
Shaibu further stated that integrating cyber capabilities into conventional military operations would strengthen surveillance, intelligence gathering, geospatial analysis, command-and-control systems, situational awareness and overall operational effectiveness.
Earlier, the Commandant of the Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare School, Brig.-Gen. Jacob Bawa, said the seminar was organised to deepen cybersecurity awareness, strengthen cyber resilience and promote collaboration among security stakeholders.
Bawa noted that Nigeria’s increasing reliance on digital technologies has exposed critical infrastructure, including telecommunications, power systems, financial institutions and government databases, to cybercriminals, terrorists and hostile state actors.
He said the Cyber Warfare School was established as a centre of excellence for cyber warfare training, education and research.
According to him, participants at the seminar would examine cyber resilience, threat intelligence, incident response, cyber warfare and emerging technologies with a view to developing practical recommendations for strengthening Nigeria’s cybersecurity architecture.
Also speaking, cybersecurity expert Abdulhakeem Ajijola warned that national security now depends significantly on the protection of digital systems, noting that artificial intelligence is transforming military operations, command structures and the protection of critical infrastructure.
Ajijola urged Nigeria to develop sovereign cyber capabilities, warning that excessive dependence on foreign-controlled software, platforms and artificial intelligence systems could undermine national resilience, operational continuity and independent decision-making during periods of crisis.
He stressed that while technology should be deployed to strengthen national sovereignty, responsibility for operational decisions must remain with human commanders.
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