BY: Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
Claim
Taiwo Oyedele, Minister of State for Finance, admitted that there were errors in Nigeria’s new tax laws.
Verdict
Misleading. Findings show that while Oyedele acknowledged issues arising from legislative and drafting processes, he later denied admitting to errors in the final, gazetted tax laws, describing such reports as a misrepresentation of his remarks.
Full Text
Reports emerged on April 10–11, 2026, claiming that Taiwo Oyedele admitted to errors in Nigeria’s new tax laws during a public engagement.
A report by TheCable, titled “Taiwo Oyedele admits to errors in new tax laws, says corrective measures underway”, stated that Oyedele acknowledged that mistakes occurred due to manual processes and multiple review stages involved in drafting the legislation.
According to the report, he noted that steps were being taken to address the issues through a proposed finance bill.
However, a follow-up report by TheCable indicated that Oyedele denied ever admitting to errors in the tax laws, despite the existence of video evidence from the event.
In his clarification, Taiwo Oyedele maintained that the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and signed by Bola Ahmed Tinubu are valid and not “fake.” He also argued that reports suggesting he admitted to errors were misleading, insisting that his comments had been taken out of context.
The Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee also supported this position, describing the earlier reports as a misrepresentation.
Verification
To verify the claim, FactCheckAfrica reviewed the initial report published by TheCable, the subsequent denial and clarification issued by Taiwo Oyedele and the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, as well as statements attributed to Oyedele during the public event where the remarks were made.
In the widely circulated video from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference, Oyedele referenced problems associated with the legislative process, including the existence of multiple versions of documents and the challenges of manual drafting.
However, a careful review shows that his remarks focused on process-related inconsistencies rather than confirmed errors in the final, gazetted law. He also indicated that corrective mechanisms, such as a proposed finance bill, were being considered, which may have been interpreted as an admission of errors.
This distinction appears to be at the heart of the controversy, as media reports framed his comments as an admission of “errors,” while Taiwo Oyedele maintains that he was referring to procedural issues rather than defects in the final law.
Conclusion
The claim that Taiwo Oyedele admitted to errors in Nigeria’s new tax laws is misleading. While he acknowledged challenges in the legislative drafting and review process, he later clarified that he did not admit to errors in the finalised laws. The controversy stems from differing interpretations of his remarks rather than a clear contradiction of fact.
