President Bola Tinubu has nominated Dr Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, as the new Minister of State for Finance.
Oyedele replaces Dr Doris Anite-Uzoka, who has been redeployed to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, marking her third portfolio in the administration. The nomination was conveyed to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, according to presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga.
The 50-year-old economist and public policy expert, from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, led the comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s tax system. Under his leadership, the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms consolidated over 60 taxes into fewer than 10 statutes and introduced major reforms, including zero income tax for Nigerians earning N800,000 annually or less and tax exemptions for small businesses with turnover below N50 million.
Other incentives under the Tax Reform Acts, effective January 1, 2026, include a 50% deduction for companies hiring new workers for three years, a 50% deduction for wage increases to lowest-paid employees, and a five-year corporate tax holiday for agricultural enterprises.
Oyedele’s academic background includes a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy and Finance from Yaba College of Technology and a BSc in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University. He also completed executive programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.
Professionally, Oyedele spent 22 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, rising to Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader, before heading the tax reform committee. He currently serves as a professor at Babcock University and a visiting scholar at Lagos Business School.
As Minister of State for Finance, Oyedele is expected to oversee the implementation of the reforms he championed, contributing to improved revenue generation and economic policy execution under substantive Finance Minister Wale Edun.
The Senate is expected to screen and confirm Oyedele’s nomination in the coming weeks before he assumes his ministerial duties.
