The Budget Office of the Federation has cautioned Nigerians against relying on unverified claims and speculation surrounding the country’s newly enacted tax laws, as implementation begins on Thursday, January 1, 2026.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, reaffirmed the credibility and integrity of the tax reforms, warning that the spread of unsubstantiated information could undermine democratic governance and public confidence.
Yakubu stressed that the careless amplification of claims from questionable sources poses a serious risk to national stability and trust in public institutions.
“A nation cannot be governed by insinuation or sustained on circulating documents of uncertain origin,” the statement read. It added that public trust, once weakened by speculation and misinformation, is often difficult to restore.
The Budget Office emphasized that the government remains committed to transparency and accountability in the implementation of the tax reforms, insisting that governance and reform efforts must not be derailed by unresolved conjecture.
The warning comes amid mounting pressure from the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives, former Senate Leader Ali Ndume, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and other stakeholders, who have called for the suspension of the tax laws scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.
Despite the opposition, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reiterated that the new tax laws will be implemented as planned, maintaining that the reforms are critical to strengthening Nigeria’s fiscal framework and long-term economic stability.
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