In a communiqué issued after their first provincial meeting of 2026 in Ibadan on Tuesday, the clerics described critics of the reforms as “agents of misinformation” trying to undermine the government’s efforts

The Catholic bishops of the Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province have publicly thrown their weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s controversial tax reforms.

In a communiqué issued after their first provincial meeting of 2026 in Ibadan on Tuesday, the clerics described critics of the reforms as “agents of misinformation” trying to undermine the government’s efforts.

“The ongoing tax reforms have generated controversies all over the country in spite of the spirited effort of the authorities to explain their merits and benefits for the poor and the less privileged among us,” the bishops said.

“Unfortunately, agents of misinformation have also been hard at work to discredit the new scheme in spite of the consultations that preceded its legislation.”

The church urged the government to continue addressing public concerns, particularly those of vulnerable Nigerians, stressing the importance of fairness, transparency, and accountability.

“We urge the government and concerned authorities to continue to do all they can to allay the anxieties of the people, give the reforms a human face, and give the most vulnerable among us the latitude to get used to the new tax regimes before applying the full force of the law.

Altogether, fairness, transparency, and accountability must govern the conduct of government and the tax authorities in this entire process,” the communiqué added.

The re-gazetted tax law, which became fully operational on January 1, 2026, has attracted public misgivings.

But the government has assured Nigerians that over 95 per cent of poor citizens remain fully exempted from paying taxes under the new legislation.

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