No Government Can Become Rich by Taxing Poverty” — Nigerians React as Old Taiwo Oyedele Statement Resurfaces
No Government Can Become Rich by Taxing Poverty” — Nigerians React as Old Taiwo Oyedele Statement Resurfaces
“This is just wrong — COVID or no COVID. No government can become rich by taxing poverty.”
Those words, spoken in 2020, are now resurfacing and sparking fresh outrage as Nigerians continue to lament the new tax regime introduced by the Bola Ahmed Tinubu–led administration, reportedly designed by Taiwo Oyedele, now a key government tax adviser.
At a time when inflation is biting hard, wages remain stagnant, and millions of Nigerians struggle daily to afford food, transportation, and basic healthcare, the introduction of new taxes has been widely described as insensitive and poorly timed.
Flashback: 2020 Condemnation of Taxing the Poor
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwo Oyedele publicly condemned the idea of increasing taxes on citizens battling economic hardship. He warned that taxing people who are already poor would only deepen suffering and weaken the economy, stressing that economic recovery cannot be built on the backs of the vulnerable.
Fast-forward to today, many Nigerians see a sharp contradiction between that position and the current tax policies being rolled out under the Tinubu administration.
Nigerians Cry Foul
Across social media, markets, and workplaces, citizens are asking tough questions:
Why introduce new taxes when purchasing power has collapsed?
Why burden small businesses already closing shop?
Why ignore wasteful government spending while squeezing the poor?
For many, the policy feels like punishment rather than reform.
“Tax the Wealth, Not Hunger”
Economic experts and civil society groups argue that sustainable revenue generation should focus on:
Blocking leakages and corruption
Expanding the tax net to luxury assets and big corporations
Reducing government waste
Growing productivity before increasing taxation
As one protester put it, “You don’t tax hunger. You don’t tax survival.”
Conclusion
The resurfacing of Taiwo Oyedele’s 2020 statement has reopened a national conversation about fairness, consistency, and empathy in governance. Nigerians are not rejecting taxation entirely — they are rejecting taxation without compassion.
Until living conditions improve, many insist that no government can truly prosper by taxing poverty.
