Budget Office Warns Nigerians Against Misinformation as New Tax Laws Take Effect January 1

|By Babatunji Wusu

The Budget Office of the Federation has warned Nigerians to disregard unverified claims and speculation trailing the country’s newly enacted tax laws as their implementation begins on Thursday, January 1, 2026.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, defended the integrity of the tax reforms and cautioned that the spread of unsubstantiated information could weaken public confidence and undermine democratic governance.

Yakubu stressed that amplifying claims from uncertain or unofficial sources poses a serious risk to trust in public institutions, noting that speculation can derail reform efforts and distort public understanding.

“A nation cannot be governed by insinuation or sustained on circulating documents of uncertain origin,” the statement said, warning that once public confidence is eroded, restoring it becomes difficult.

The Budget Office reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to transparency and accountability, insisting that governance and reform processes must not be stalled by conjecture or misinformation.

The warning comes amid increasing pressure from the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives, former Senate Leader Ali Ndume, the Nigeria Labour Congress and other groups calling for the suspension of the tax laws slated to take effect on January 1, 2026.

Despite the opposition, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has insisted that the new tax laws will be implemented as scheduled, maintaining that the reforms remain critical to the country’s fiscal framework.