The National Orientation Agency (NOA) says it will begin a nationwide sensitisation campaign to counter misinformation ahead of the implementation of the federal government’s new tax reforms on January 1, 2026.
Lanre Issa-Onilu, director-general (DG) of the NOA, said the agency will deploy nearly 200 radio stations broadcasting in 72 local languages, as well as its presence in all 774 local government areas, to deliver accurate information on the tax reforms to citizens.
Issa-Onilu spoke on Friday while receiving a delegation led by Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the presidential fiscal policy and tax reforms committee, at the NOA headquarters in Abuja.
“It took me several months, even after it had been passed, to begin to understand,” he said.
“I have a responsibility to lead the team that will communicate to ordinary Nigerians, so I must understand beyond the level of an average Nigerian to be able to communicate to them and break it down in the language they would understand.
“We’ve done a lot of publications—the weekly explainer, one or two cover stories about the reform—but we also realise that it continues to evolve.
“We will put all our tools of engagement at the committee’s disposal to ensure Nigerians are properly informed.”
Speaking earlier, Oyedele said the reforms were designed to ease the financial burden on citizens.
He said widespread false narratives were fuelling needless anxiety across the country.
“You can say subsidy removal came with some amount of pain and sacrifice,” he said.
“Naira floatation also meant people had to pay more. These were painful reforms which are expected to yield results in the medium to long term. But this tax reform is coming with benefits.
“Exemption for small businesses, exemption for workers and low-income earners. Middle class reduce their taxes. Big companies reduce their taxes. Harmonised taxes.”
Oyedele said the changes were the most “consequential and beneficial” fiscal reforms he had seen in his career.
The tax committee chairman lamented that misinformation was travelling faster than facts.
“Unfortunately, in our environment, it seems that if you have good news, it doesn’t go viral,” he said.
“If you can manage to create misinformation or fake news—so long as it’s negative—it tends to go viral very quickly.”
Oyedele said the committee was prioritising grassroots sensitisation to counter fear and speculation.
He added that the NOA had the structure and expertise required for nationwide public engagement.
“You have the structure, you have the skill, you have the experience,” he said.
“We are not even communications people. The one thing we can explain is the technicalities of what we are doing.”
Oyedele added that the partnership with NOA would ensure Nigerians fully understood the benefits of the reforms.
“We need an approach that will get this information to the grassroots,” he said.
The tax reform laws were signed by President Bola Tinubu in June as part of a broader effort to simplify and strengthen Nigeria’s fiscal system.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
