The Federal Government has paused the rollout of guidelines for the new tax laws because nobody is certain which version of the legislation is actually final. This was disclosed by Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Tax Reform Committee, at the 2026 Economic Outlook event in Lagos hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.
Oyedele said he has instructed the Nigeria Revenue Service and the Joint Revenue Board to suspend implementation until there is absolute clarity. According to him, documents currently circulating may not reflect the authentic text of the law.
The committee even attempted to buy official printed copies from the government printer, only to be told that all copies had been taken by the National Assembly. That means the public will have no access until lawmakers are done with their own review.
Although legislative review is normal, Oyedele noted that withholding the text contradicts the Acts Authentication Act which states that the version printed by the government printer is the legally recognised evidence of what has been passed.
The National Assembly is said to be preparing its own gazette, but that document has not been finalised. The result is confusion and a reform process stuck in limbo.
In Oyedele’s words, guidelines cannot be issued because nobody is fully certain the circulating documents represent the final official position. Attempts to get comments from Senate and House spokespersons did not yield any response.
For now, the tax reform project is waiting for one thing: an official document everyone can agree on before implementation begins.
