Taiwo Oyedele has been officially sworn in as Nigeria’s Minister of State for Finance at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa by President Bola Tinubu.
Our correspondent observed Oyedele and his wife cleared by Villa security at approximately 2:09 pm. The nominee was dressed in a navy blue suit, while his wife wore white traditional attire. The swearing-in follows the Senate’s confirmation of Oyedele’s appointment on March 12, five days prior, and 13 days after President Tinubu initially nominated him.
During the confirmation, Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced Oyedele’s appointment after members of the Committee of the Whole adopted the recommendation. The nomination was first conveyed to the Senate by President Tinubu on March 3, in line with Section 147(2) of the 1999 Constitution.
Oyedele, 50, hails from Ikaram, Akoko and brings over two decades of experience in fiscal policy and tax administration. He previously chaired the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which introduced a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s tax system.
The committee, inaugurated in August 2023, produced four executive bills—the Nigeria Tax Bill, Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill. These bills, passed by the National Assembly in 2025 and signed into law on June 26, 2025, consolidated over 60 taxes into fewer than 10 statutes, introduced zero income tax for Nigerians earning N800,000 or less annually, and exempted small businesses with turnover below N50 million from company income tax, capital gains tax, and withholding tax.
Before his public service, Oyedele spent 22 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, rising to Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy and Finance from Yaba College of Technology and a BSc in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University. He has also completed executive programmes at the “,”UK”], [“organization”,”Yale University”,”USA”], Gordon Institute of Business Science and Harvard Kennedy School.
Oyedele is currently a professor at Babcock University and a visiting scholar at Lagos Business School. He succeeds Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, who has been redeployed to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning.
Speaking during his Senate screening, Oyedele described the appointment as “a call to serve at a critical time when Nigeria faces significant fiscal challenges and remarkable opportunities,” highlighting his experience across the private sector, academia, and public policy in advancing fiscal governance and economic transformation.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa was also seen attending the ceremony at around 2:25 pm.
