Claim
On January 15, 2026, an online report circulated by The Northern Star and shared widely on social media platforms, including WhatsApp, claimed that the Federal Government (FG) had suspended the implementation of Nigeria’s tax reform laws. The report alleged that the suspension was due to uncertainty over the final, officially gazetted version of the laws.
Full text
The context’s full text read: “BREAKING: FG Suspends Tax Reform Laws Regime Pending Official Gazette
“The federal government has paused issuing guidelines for the implementation of Nigeria’s new tax laws amid uncertainty over the final approved version, Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Tax Reform Committee, disclosed.
“Speaking in Lagos during the 2026 Economic Outlook event hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Oyedele revealed he instructed the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) and the Joint Revenue Board (JRB) to hold off on implementing the laws until clarity is achieved.
“Concerns arose because the documents circulating may not reflect the definitive version of the laws.
“Oyedele’s team attempted to purchase official printed copies from the government printer but was told by staff that all copies had been taken by the National Assembly, which restricted public access until their review is complete.
“While legislative review is a normal part of the process, Oyedele explained that withholding the official text contradicts the Acts Authentication Act, which states that only the version published by the government printer is the lawful evidence of the law passed.
“The National Assembly, however, is preparing its own gazette that has yet to be finalized.
“This has led to confusion and delays, as Oyedele stressed, “We cannot issue guidelines because we are not 100% certain this is the final official position”.
“Attempts to get comments from the Senate and House spokespersons were unsuccessful.
“The ongoing uncertainty has slowed down the tax reform rollout, leaving stakeholders awaiting the definitive text before proceeding”.
Also, The Northern Star has this same publication with the Headline: “BREAKING:FG Suspends Tax Reform Laws Regime Pending Official Gazette”
Verification
Due to the virality of the content, being that it is an issue of national interest, we decided to carry out this fact check.
We started with Google search, trying to find if any credible media organisation published this. The closest we could find was an article on The Cable entitled “Taiwo Oyedele: Why issuance of tax reform guidelines has been delayed”. This article shows that the situation was misrepresented.
Oyedele indeed explained that the NRS and JRB were advised to wait before issuing implementation guidelines.
However, his clarification was specific: ‘guidelines cannot be issued until the final, officially authenticated version of the tax laws is available’.
This position aligns with standard legislative and administrative procedure and does not amount to a suspension of the tax reform laws themselves.
To further confirm the position of the government on the matter, we checked for official directives from the government, scanning through the official websites of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, and its official social media handles; X: @fiscalreformsng
Instagram: @fiscalreformsng, and Facebook: Fiscal Reforms Ng but did not find any official directive from the Federal Government halting or suspending the tax reform process.
Also, no reliable media organisation had any report on the suspension of the tax reform process.
Rather, the delay concerns only the issuance of implementation guidelines, pending confirmation of the final legal text.
Conclusion
The claim that the Federal Government has suspended Nigeria’s tax reform laws regime is misleading and false.
There is no formal notice issued by the government or any agency suspending or pausing the tax reform process.
What exists is the delay in issuing implementation guidelines, solely to ensure they are based on the final, officially authenticated version of the law.
The clarification has been publicly provided by Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms.
Also, the claim that the reform was suspended has been debunked by prominent News outlets, like the Daily Post, Punch, and Naijanews, dismissing it as fake news.
