President Bola Tinubu announced on Tuesday that the new tax laws, including those adopted on June 26, 2025, and the remaining acts set to go into effect on January 1, 2026, will be implemented as planned.
Tinubu said in a written statement that the reforms are “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a fair, competitive, and robust fiscal foundation” for the country.
The President clarified that the new laws are not intended to increase taxes but to support a structural reset, drive harmonization, and protect dignity while strengthening the social contract.
He urged all stakeholders to support the implementation phase, which he said is now “firmly in the delivery stage,” adding that no substantial issue has been identified that warrants a disruption of the reform.
“Absolute trust is built over time through making the right decisions, not through premature, reactive measures,” the statement added.
Tinubu emphasized his administration’s commitment to due process and the integrity of established laws, promising to work with the National Assembly to quickly resolve any difficulties.
He promised Nigerians that the government will continue to work in the public’s best interests by ensuring a tax structure that encourages prosperity and shared responsibility.
A high-level meeting with Tinubu on Friday, December 26, 2025, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, confirmed that the final implementation phase—specifically covering the Nigeria Tax Act and the Nigeria Tax Administration Act—is firmly on schedule.
According to Oyedele, the decision to proceed is rooted in the “pro-people” nature of the laws, which strategically shift the tax burden away from the vulnerable.
The reforms promise a significant economic cushion, with the government projecting that nearly 98% of Nigerian workers and 97% of small businesses will be fully exempt from taxes or have their liabilities drastically reduced.
![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")
