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Nigerians curse me, my family over tax reform Bills Oyedele laments
The Chairman, Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, has stated that some Nigerians rain curses on him and his family over the tax reform bills.
Oyedele spoke during an event for the presentation of the report of a technical committee set up by the League of Northern Democrats (LND) to review the controversial tax reform bills on Thursday in Abuja.
He however said he was not deterred by the vitriol as his assignment was a public service to bring economic change to the country.
Daily Trust reports that the tax reform bills have generated heated debates across the country, with the majority of the push backs coming from the North.
Many governors and some leaders from the region contested that the tax reform bills, which also led to open confrontations in both chambers of the National Assembly, were meant to favour Lagos State and other narrow interests, as well as to shortchange the North.
Oyedele stated that the recommendations made by his committee on tax reform were not influenced by anyone as it came through robust discussions and engagements to revolutionise the tax system in the country.
“Even on social media, you need to see the number of people cursing me and my family. I don’t take it personally. I just go through and say is there any useful comment that we can work on? We pick it and we work on it. It’s public service. You’re not meant to be appreciated and praised every time. It doesn’t happen anywhere in the world.
“Public service is public service. You are accountable to the people and you must take that very seriously. So our approach to this is that some Nigerians were asked to do this for our country and I had the privilege of leading that team and we did our best but we’re not in any way suggesting that our best is the best for Nigeria.
“You cannot have more than 200 million people and you then assume that about 100 people are the smartest. You know that that would be arrogance at a different level. So this engagement helped us to even improve the quality of what we have done.
“I’ve said this in a number of fora and I’ll say it again. There’s not a single person in the world, not World Bank, not IMF, not United Nations, not Mr President, not any governor, not any minister, past or present, not president, past or present, no one dictated anything to us. Every single thing you see in all those bills were the outcome of debates by the committee that is representative nationally.
“We have people from all the geo-political zones. We have more than 20 government institutions. We have all manner of engagement, including with people with disability. But we know that engagements will never end. In fact, if the bills are passed, it doesn’t mean that we should stop engaging. We should continue.”
While reiterating that there are no perfect laws even when they have been enacted, he said engagements would give feedback on how it’s been implemented and the areas needed to further improve on.
“So, I’m eagerly looking forward to the outcome of this event today and I can give you one assurance. Every single point you send to us will be carefully considered and we’ll get back to you with our own explanations. So once we have superior reasoning and superior arguments, we bow to it very quickly because we have no agenda other than the agenda for Nigeria,” he added.
By Francesca Hangeior
President Bola Tinubu has stated that the Federal Government is taking concrete steps to protect the dignity and future of every Nigerian child, even as he said plans have been concluded to establish a Child Protection and Development Agency to coordinate all issues affecting Nigerian children in a unified and focused manner.
Tinubu spoke on Thursday during the first regional meeting of the Africa Pathfinder Countries of the Global Alliance on Ending Violence Against Children.
The event was held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The president was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Tinubu said his administration is taking concrete steps to protect the dignity and future of every Nigerian child.
“Our legal frameworks reflect our conviction. From the Child Rights Act to the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, Nigeria has laid down the statutory foundation for the protection of children.
“But legislation alone does not shield the vulnerable — it is the will behind those laws, and the systems that enforce them, that make the difference.
“That is why our national strategy also embraces prevention and early intervention.
“We are strengthening families and communities through programmes that promote positive parenting, challenge harmful social norms, and provide targeted support to vulnerable households. But we must be honest with ourselves. We cannot protect the child by merely reciting the anthems of their struggles or romanticising their vulnerability, Tinubu said.
He stated that the real hope lies in action — concrete, deliberate action.
“Our commitment must run deep, reaching into the very architecture of our education and health systems. This is the soul of our human capital development strategy,” he said.
Tinubu added that every Nigerian child should grow and learn in a safe environment.
“We aim to ensure that every Nigerian child has the opportunity to grow, learn, and thrive in a safe and nurturing environment. This is not simply a policy objective; it is a moral obligation.
“We are investing in safe schools and embedding socio-emotional learning into our national curriculum.
“We are rolling out the National Guidelines on Alternative Care to ensure that even children without parental care are raised in love, safety, and stability,” he said.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, on Friday announced the release of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, results.
The board disclosed that it is withholding the results of 39,834 candidates over issues relating to examination irregularities.
Recall that over 1.9 million applicants participated in the just-concluded exercise.
JAMB also disclosed that 80 suspects across the country are currently under interrogation for examination fraud, with Anambra State leading the pack with 14 suspects.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, stated this on Friday while officially releasing the 2025 UTME.
He also disclosed that while 467 underage candidates met the prescribed minimum score, 50 were engaged in cheating scandal.
A press conference to this effect is ongoing.
Details coming…
The Oloba of Oba-Ile in Akure North Council Area of Ondo State, Oba Joseph Oluwadare Agunbiade, Otutubiosun 1
has joined his ancestors.
Oba Agunbiade who passed on Friday morning reigned for 39 years .
He was aged 84 years.
Sources told newsmen that traditional announcement of the monarch’s demise is however being awaited.
Details shortly…
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