News
President Tinubu sets up tax reforms committee, appoints Oyedele chairman

Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, while appointing the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, as committee chairman.
The development comes barely 24 hours after the President signed four Executive Orders, suspending the five per cent excise tax on telecommunication services and the excise duties escalation on locally-manufactured vehicles.
According to the President, the committee “Will comprise experts from both the private and public sectors and have responsibility for the various aspects of tax law reform, fiscal policy design and coordination, harmonisation of taxes, and revenue administration,” a statement signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Dele Alake, read on Friday.
According to the statement titled ‘President Tinubu sets up committee on tax reforms,’ the committee’s primary objective is to enhance revenue collection efficiency and ensure transparent reporting.
It will also promote the effective utilisation of tax and other revenues to boost citizens’ tax morale, foster a healthy tax culture, and drive voluntary compliance.
Alake cited earlier remarks by the Special Adviser to the President on Revenue, Mr Zaccheus Adedeji, who explained that Tinubu recognises the importance of a sound fiscal policy environment and an effective taxation system for the functioning of the government and the economy.
According to Adedeji, “Nigeria ranks very low on the global ease of paying taxes while the country’s Tax to GDP ratio is one of the lowest in the world and well below the African average.
“This has led to an overreliance on borrowing to finance public spending, which in turn limits the fiscal space as debt service costs consume a greater portion of government revenue, annually resulting in a vicious cycle of inadequate funding for socio-economic development.
“While some incremental progress has been recorded over the years, the outcomes have not been transformative enough to change the narrative,” he said.
Adedeji outlined the key challenges in Nigeria’s tax system, including multiple taxes and revenue collection agencies, fragmented and complex tax system, low tax morale, high prevalence of tax evasion, high cost of revenue administration, lack of coordination between fiscal and economic policies, and poor accountability in the utilisation of tax revenue.
Adedeji explained that the administration hopes to transform the tax system to support sustainable development and achieve a minimum of 18 per cent Tax to GDP ratio within three years without stifling investment or economic growth.
“It should be noted that this committee will not only advise the government on necessary reforms but will also drive the implementation of such recommendations in support of the comprehensive fiscal policy and tax reform agenda of the current administration,” the SA on Revenue added.
Oyedele, who chairs the committee, is the Thematic Lead for the Fiscal Policy & Planning Commission and Chairman of the West Africa Debt Management Roundtable of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.
He also heads the Taxation & Fiscal Policy Faculty Board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and is a member of the Nigerian Taxation Standards Board.
Oyedele serves as a member of the Ministerial Committee on implementing Nigeria’s National Tax Policy. He is a member of the Global Tax Forum and has previously served as a member of the Global Governing Council of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
Oyedele, an Associate Professor at the Babcock University Business School, is an alumnus of the London School of Economics & Political Science, Yale University, and Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education.
He is also a guest lecturer at the Lagos Business School and the Founder and President of Impact Africa Foundation.
News
Mission to boldly grow food in space labs blasts off
ESA is funding the research to explore new ways of reducing the cost of feeding an astronaut, which can cost up to £20,000 per day.

Artwork: The experiment will orbit the Earth for three hours before returning to Earth and splashing down off the coast of Portugal.
(BBC): Steak, mashed potatoes and deserts for astronauts could soon be grown from individual cells in space if an experiment launched into orbit today is successful.
A European Space Agency (ESA) project is assessing the viability of growing so-called lab-grown food in the low gravity and higher radiation in orbit and on other worlds.
ESA is funding the research to explore new ways of reducing the cost of feeding an astronaut, which can cost up to £20,000 per day.
The team involved say the experiment is a first step to developing a small pilot food production plant on the International Space Station in two years’ time.
Lab-grown food will be essential if Nasa’s objective of making humanity a multi-planetary species were to be realised, claims Dr Aqeel Shamsul, CEO and founder of Bedford-based Frontier Space, which is developing the concept with researchers at Imperial College, London.
“Our dream is to have factories in orbit and on the Moon,” he told BBC News.
“We need to build manufacturing facilities off world if we are to provide the infrastructure to enable humans to live and work in space”.
News
President Tinubu returns from Europe
The President arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport, Abuja, at about 9:50 pm.

President Bola Tinubu last night returned to Abuja after a “working visit to France” that also took him to the United Kingdom (UK).
The President arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport, Abuja, at about 9:50 pm.
Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Spokesman, announced on his X handle that the President is back home.
Among those who received the presidency were the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; and the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu.
News
Governor Soludo Mourns Pope Francis, consoles Catholic Faithful

Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, has expressed deep sadness at the passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis, who departed peacefully on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88.
In his condolence message, Governor Soludo extends his solemn condolences to the Catholic Church in Anambra State, Nigeria, the Vatican, and the global Christian community.
He said the loss of Pope Francis, a globally respected icon of faith, humility, and compassion, has indeed grieved the hearts of Catholics and all humanity as his lifelong dedication to championing the cause of the poor, fostering interfaith unity, and advocating for peace and justice has left the world a better place.
Governor Soludo further remarked that “Pope Francis was a shepherd whose legacy transcended borders” .
“His teachings on love, mercy, and solidarity touched base with the people of Anambra, inspiring the government to build a society rooted in dignity and hope” .
“Indeed, the Holy Father’s passing on Easter Monday, a day symbolising Christ’s triumph over death, is deeply instructive and a reflection on the enduring power of resurrection and hope” .
Governor Soludo however stands in solidarity with the global Catholic community during this period of mourning, celebrating a life extraordinarily lived in service to God and humanity, and praying for the soul of Pope Francis to find repose in the comforting grace of the Almighty God.
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