Follow Us on Google
•Says new law an assault on hungry Nigerians
Nigeria’s simmering economic discontent boiled over yesterday as the National Opposition Movement (NOM) issued a blistering call for the immediate suspension of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s proposed new tax law, warning that its implementation would deepen poverty, endanger social stability and push an already strained populace beyond breaking point.
At a press conference in Abuja, the group described the planned tax framework, scheduled to take effect in January, as “not a tax reform, but an assault on the livelihood of ordinary Nigerians,” accusing the Tinubu administration of prioritising political and oligarchic interests over citizens’ welfare.
“We called this press conference today because Nigeria is at a threshold of multidimensional failure,” the movement said in a statement.
It continued: “It is unsafe to travel across Nigerian cities. Poverty is worsening, homelessness and starvation are realities and at no time in the country’s history has life been so short, so brutish and so miserable for citizens.”
The opposition group cited global economic indicators ranking Nigeria among countries with the lowest quality of life, arguing that the government’s policy direction is compounding insecurity, inflation and social despair rather than addressing them.
According to NOM, the administration’s focus on revenue extraction amid hardship risks undermining democracy and stability, not just in Nigeria but across West Africa.
Rallying under the banner of what it called “patriotic vigilance,” the movement said concerned citizens were coalescing to monitor governance under the Tinubu administration and “raise our voices as sentinels of national liberation and transformation.” It commended opposition leaders who recently spoke out against the tax plan, as well as organised labour—particularly the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC)—for resisting what it termed “the massive impoverishment of Nigerians through self-serving economic policies.”
“The situation in Nigeria today is terrible,” the group said. “Many Nigerians can barely afford food, transport, electricity bills or rent. Yet at a time like this, the administration is preparing to roll out the most punitive and exploitative tax regime in Nigeria’s history.”
Under the proposed law, all adults of taxable age, whether employed or not. would be required to file annual tax returns within a specified period, with penalties applying for non-compliance. Employers would also be mandated to file returns for all employees, including those earning below the taxable threshold, while compliance would hinge on possession of a Tax Identification Number (TIN).
The opposition movement described the provisions as “mindless” in a country grappling with mass unemployment, limited internet access and weak institutional capacity. With more than 70 million Nigerians estimated to be unemployed or underemployed, the group warned that the policy would effectively criminalise poverty and suffocate small and medium-sized enterprises already struggling under rising costs.
“Small businesses are barely surviving in a hostile policy environment,” the statement said. “Instead of support, pressure is being piled on them. This is not reform; it is exploitation.”
NOM further argued that despite assurances, Nigerians earning below the minimum wage would still be adversely affected, having already absorbed the shocks of fuel subsidy removal, naira depreciation, soaring food prices and rising electricity tariffs. Introducing a new tax burden now, it said, would “truncate any prospect of sustained economic growth” and worsen human development outcomes.
Beyond the economic critique, the group raised governance and transparency concerns, alleging widespread corruption and state capture. It accused key revenue-generating agencies of opacity and questioned an undisclosed memorandum of understanding between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and a French agency on tax administration.
“Why would such an agreement be kept secret when Nigerians are being asked to pay more?” the group asked, warning that opaque arrangements could compromise national interests.
The opposition also referenced high-profile corruption allegations within government and cited recent comments by Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, who expressed concern over what he described as the “privatisation of the Nigerian state.”
Against this backdrop, the movement said it had no confidence that higher taxes would translate into improved public services. “Nigerians are being asked to pay more—without being promised anything in return,” it said.
The National Opposition Movement outlined five key demands: immediate suspension of the tax plan’s take-off date; nationwide consultations involving labour, civil society and businesses; explicit social protection guarantees tied to any reform; a focus on taxing luxury, excess profits and corruption rather than poverty; and strong legal safeguards to protect taxpayers’ rights.
“Nigeria does not suffer from low taxation,” the statement concluded. “Nigeria suffers from waste, corruption, mismanagement and policy arrogance. You do not fix government failure by billing the victims.”
Warning that public patience is not limitless, the group said the government would bear full responsibility for any social or economic fallout if the tax plan proceeds without consultation.
“This is not a threat. “It is a warning grounded in reality. Nigeria is hurting and suffering Nigerians have limits”, NOM said.
