Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has criticised Nigeria’s newly introduced tax reforms, warning that policies which further burden poor citizens could trigger widespread public resistance.
Speaking on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme, on Monday, January 5, 2026, Sowore argued that the current economic realities facing Nigerians make additional taxation on low-income earners unsustainable. “Anybody who taxes poverty will reap resistance, because Nigerians are just too poor right now,” Sowore said during the interview.
His comments come amid growing national debate over the tax reforms recently introduced by the federal government. Critics have expressed concerns that the new policies could worsen the financial struggles of ordinary Nigerians already grappling with inflation, rising living costs, and declining purchasing power.
In addition to concerns about the impact on citizens, questions have also been raised regarding inconsistencies between the tax bills passed by the National Assembly and the versions that were eventually gazetted. Analysts and civil society groups have called for greater transparency and stakeholder engagement in the implementation of the reforms.
Supporters of the reforms, however, argue that the measures are necessary to expand the country’s revenue base and reduce dependence on borrowing. They insist that the government must increase internally generated revenue to fund critical infrastructure and public services.
Sowore maintained that sustainable economic policies should prioritise relieving hardship rather than intensifying it, warning that failure to do so could deepen public discontent and social unrest.
