Tax Reforms consultation; Only one out of 36 State Governors met with us – FG makes revelations
Tax Reforms consultation; Only one out of 36 State Governors met with us – FG makes revelations
Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, has opened up about the challenges faced in engaging state governors over tax reforms.
In an interview on Arise TV, Oyedele outlined the committee’s attempts to bring governors into the fold but revealed significant obstacles in securing their cooperation.
He shared that although the committee reached out to governors from all six geopolitical zones, only the Governor of Lagos State was able to meet with them in person. The Governor of Kaduna State initially agreed to a meeting, but on the scheduled date, it was his Deputy who attended instead.
“We sent letters to meet with six governors, one from each zone, but so far, only the Governor of Lagos State has met with us. The Governor of Kaduna State agreed to meet, but it was the Deputy Governor who hosted us,” Oyedele explained.
He also expressed disappointment over the lack of engagement from other state leaders: “I won’t mention names, but some governors simply didn’t have time for us. The Governors’ Forum invited us four times, but each meeting was canceled. The fifth time, we waited until 1:30 am, and when we finally met, we were given just 15 minutes.”
Despite these setbacks, Oyedele emphasized the committee’s fruitful interactions with other key stakeholders, such as Finance Commissioners and heads of internal revenue services across the country.
“We had a productive half-day session with finance commissioners from all states and over four engagements with heads of internal revenue services nationwide,” he added.
