‘I Didn’t Call It Fake’, Oyedele Clarifies Comment On Alleged Discrepancies In Gazetted Tax Reform Act

The Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, has denied claims that he described the controversial tax regulation currently in circulation as “fake,” saying his comments were misrepresented by sections of the media.

Oyedele made the clarification on Wednesday during an appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show, amid growing controversy over alleged discrepancies in Nigeria’s newly gazetted tax laws.

He explained that his earlier remarks were taken out of context after a reporter compared two versions of the law, one published in the official Gazette and another “harmonised” version attributed to the National Assembly, and asked whether the differences suggested that alterations had been made.

“I’ve seen quite a bit in the past couple of days, that I said the regulation in circulation is fake. That’s not what I said,” Oyedele clarified. “The reporter displayed a section of the law in the Gazette and a similar section in the harmonised version and asked whether that was an alteration.”

The tax expert said prior to that interview, he had encountered reports alleging that several sections of the Act were substantially altered after passage, supposedly based on findings by a House of Representatives investigative committee.

However, upon closer examination, Oyedele said he discovered that one of the cited sections “did not even exist” in the official Gazette.

“I called one of the lawmakers said to be on the committee and told him, ‘You referenced something that doesn’t exist.’ He told me the committee hadn’t even met,” he revealed.

According to Oyedele, this confirmed his suspicion that the purported alterations circulating online may have originated from unofficial sources.

“Apparently, some people decided to write what alterations they thought were made, and it didn’t come from the committee investigating it. Some people even did graphic designs on top of it,” he said.

He added that his response during the interview was simply that it would be “unproductive to discuss alleged alterations” whose sources could not be verified, a statement which was later misinterpreted as him declaring the Gazette itself to be fake.

“Some people reported it as me saying the Gazette in circulation was fake. That’s not what I said,” he reiterated.

The clarification came amid ongoing public and political scrutiny over the Tax Reform Act, with opposition figures and civil society groups demanding an investigation into claims that portions of the law were altered without legislative approval.