The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Tax Policy and Fiscal Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has revealed that he was forced to flee his home and now lives in a secret location under armed police protection following a wave of death threats over his tax reform campaign.

Naijaonpoint reports that Oyedele made the disclosure during a live interview on Nigeria Info FM, stating that his clampdown on over 60 government agencies illegally collecting taxes had sparked a backlash from powerful individuals.

He said, “I had to pack out of my house. I rented a place in a secret location where I now live. I’m not the kind of person who wants anybody carrying a gun to follow me around, but I had to accept mobile police protection.”

Oyedele, a former Africa Tax Lead at PwC, said he underestimated the resistance his reforms would face from entrenched interests benefiting from a broken tax system.

He said, “These are not small boys and girls. They are big people with deep connections and resources. So naturally, they would resist any effort to block those illegal streams.”

He added that the threats also took an emotional toll on his family. His wife has been fasting daily out of fear, while his 80-year-old mother developed an ulcer from the distress.

Oyedele further stated, “There’s this bit of sacrifice that people don’t see. If you’re not in the public sector to steal money, it is not attractive at all.”

President Bola Tinubu signed four major tax reform laws into effect on June 26, 2025. The new laws, the Nigeria Tax Act, Nigeria Tax Administration Act, Nigeria Revenue Service Act, and Joint Tax Board Act, will take effect from January 1, 2026.

Key highlights of the reforms include:

Nigerians earning ₦110,000 or less per month will be exempt from PAYE tax.

Middle-income earners will see reduced tax burdens.

High-income earners (earning ₦2 million or more per month) will pay a 25% tax.

Essential goods and services, including food, housing, healthcare, education, and transport, will now be zero-rated for VAT, allowing producers to claim back input VAT and reduce costs.

Oyedele said, “We should not overburden businesses with cost. Those costs have now been removed.”

He clarified that, contrary to earlier fears, the government will not increase VAT. Instead, the reforms aim to reduce the burden on low- and middle-income Nigerians and formal businesses.

“The objective was to make the system work for everyone, particularly people below the middle class,” he explained.

Though the threats have subsided since the reforms were signed into law, Oyedele acknowledged the dangers he faced in pushing through the changes.

He said, “Now that the laws have been signed, there’s really no point for anybody to hurt me. Even if anything happens to me now, I will die a happy person, because Nigerians will remember there was a guy who was trying to help his country.”

He praised President Tinubu for demonstrating political will in supporting the reforms, despite the associated political risks.

“We didn’t brief Mr President before most of these actions. Yet he took all the blame, never distancing himself from us,” Oyedele said.

A nationwide public awareness campaign is set to begin soon, aiming to educate Nigerians, particularly low-income earners and small businesses, on how to avoid extortion and take advantage of the new laws.

He added, “As people collect their salaries, they will see their net pay rise, even without a salary increase. That’s the microeconomic benefit.”