By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

President Bola Tinubu has nominated the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Dr. Taiwo Oyedele, as the Minister of State for Finance.

Oyedele replaces Dr. Doris Anite-Uzoka, who has been redeployed to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning as Minister of State, her third portfolio in the administration.

The President on Tuesday conveyed Oyedele’s nomination to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Tuesday.

Until Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

The 50-year-old is an economist, accountant, and public policy expert who led the comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s tax system through the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms.

The committee, inaugurated in August 2023, delivered four executive bills that consolidated over 60 taxes into fewer than 10 statutes and introduced significant reforms, including zero income tax for Nigerians earning N800,000 annually or less.

The Tax Reform Acts, which became effective on January 1, 2026, also exempted small businesses with turnover below N50m from company income tax, capital gains tax, and development levy.

Other provisions include a 50 per cent tax deduction for companies hiring new workers for three years, a 50 per cent deduction for wage increases to the lowest-paid employees, and a five-year corporate tax holiday for agricultural enterprises.

Oyedele attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy and Finance, before proceeding to Oxford Brookes University for a BSc in Applied Accounting.

He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

Oyedele spent 22 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader before his appointment to head the tax reform committee.

He is currently a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.

As Minister of State for Finance, Oyedele is expected to oversee the implementation of the tax reforms he championed, particularly as the government seeks to improve revenue generation and deepen economic reforms.

Anite-Uzoka, who is being redeployed to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, previously served as Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment before her appointment as Minister of State for Finance.

The Senate is expected to screen and confirm Oyedele’s nomination in the coming weeks, following which he will be sworn in to assume his ministerial duties.

The Finance Ministry, currently led by Wale Edun as substantive minister, oversees fiscal policy, revenue mobilisation, debt management, and economic planning.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

In a decisive move to enhance transparency and curb revenue leakages in the petroleum sector, the Nigerian Government has approved a transition period for oil companies to begin remitting revenues directly into the Federation Account. This directive is a core component of Executive Order 9, recently signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The decision was formalized during the inaugural meeting of the Implementation Committee on Executive Order 9, held on February 26, 2026.

In a statement released on Monday, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, who chairs the committee, announced the approval of a transition arrangement. He emphasized that this measured approach is designed to prevent any disruption to existing contractual and financing obligations within the oil industry.

The policy’s primary objective is to mandate the direct payment of all revenues from petroleum operations—including profit oil, royalty oil, and tax oil—into the Federation Account. This measure is intended to strengthen public finance management and ensure a more equitable distribution of resources across all three tiers of government (federal, state, and local).

Minister Edun explained that while the government is committed to enforcing the new payment structure, the committee agreed that a cautious implementation is vital to preserving investor confidence.

“With respect to Section 2, Sub-section 3 of Executive Order 9 on direct payments by contractors into the Federation Account, the Implementation Committee agreed that this transition must be implemented in a manner that respects existing contractual and financing arrangements and maintains investor confidence,” he stated.

He further clarified that a defined transition period has been approved before the new remittance system becomes fully operational. Until detailed guidelines are released by the committee, existing payment processes will remain in place.

“Until the Committee issues detailed guidelines, contractors will continue to remit under the current process. During the transition period, the Committee will issue clear, standardised guidance to ensure an orderly changeover,” Mr. Edun added.

To operationalize the directive, the committee has established a technical subcommittee tasked with developing a comprehensive implementation framework within three weeks. This subcommittee will also conduct a review of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to identify structural and fiscal provisions that may be weakening government revenues from petroleum operations.

“The Technical Subcommittee will develop the detailed guidelines for the transition to direct remittance within three weeks and commence a review of the Petroleum Industry Act to address structural and fiscal anomalies that weaken Federation revenues,” Mr. Edun said.

The panel will be chaired by the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Mrs. Olu Verheijen. Its members include senior officials from the Office of the Solicitor-General of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Nigeria Revenue Service, the Forum of Commissioners of Finance, and representatives of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil). The Budget Office of the Federation will serve as its secretariat.

As an immediate part of the reforms under Executive Order 9, the government has directed NNPC Limited to halt certain deductions under Production Sharing Contracts.

According to the committee, NNPC Limited is to immediately stop collecting a 30 per cent management fee and a 30 per cent frontier exploration fund deduction from profit oil and profit gas. Furthermore, the remittance of all gas flare penalties into the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund has been suspended with immediate effect.

The implementation committee reaffirmed that these sweeping reforms are designed to guarantee that all revenues generated from Nigeria’s oil and gas resources are fully accounted for and paid into the Federation Account, in strict adherence to constitutional provisions.

“The Committee reaffirmed the President’s directive that revenues accruing to the Federation from petroleum operations must be handled in a manner that upholds constitutional principles, protects revenues accruable to the Federation and supports the fiscal stability of all three tiers of government,” the statement concluded.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Federal Government has issued a critical security advisory urging all Nigerian citizens residing in the Islamic Republic of Iran and neighboring Gulf countries to exercise extreme caution. This directive comes in response to rapidly escalating military tensions and retaliatory actions currently unfolding across the region.

In an official press statement released on Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed it is closely monitoring the volatile security situation. According to the Ministry’s Spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the government is tracking reports of military action undertaken by Israel and the United States against targets in Iran, as well as subsequent retaliatory strikes by Iran on locations within several Gulf nations.

In light of the heightened risk, the Ministry has outlined specific safety protocols for affected citizens:

The Ministry stated that Nigerians are advised to remain highly alert and constantly aware of their surroundings. Individuals must avoid areas housing strategic, military, or government installations, as these locations are considered potential flashpoints for further escalation.

Also, citizens are strongly urged to restrict all non-essential movement and travel within these countries until the security situation stabilizes. The public is also advised to avoid large gatherings and public demonstrations, which may be targeted or become volatile.

In line with standard safety procedures, all Nigerians are instructed to strictly comply with security directives and safety protocols issued by local law enforcement and governing bodies in their respective host countries.

The Ministry emphasized that cooperation with local authorities remains paramount for personal safety.

Nigerians requiring assistance or further information are encouraged to contact the nearest Nigerian Embassy or Mission for guidance.