President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed tax reform expert Taiwo Oyedele as Minister of State for Finance, replacing Doris Uzoka-Anite in a move seen as reinforcing the administration’s fiscal reform drive.
The announcement was made by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy. According to the statement, Uzoka-Anite has been redeployed to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning as Minister of State, marking her third portfolio under the current administration.
President Tinubu has formally conveyed Oyedele’s nomination to the Senate for confirmation in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Until his nomination, Oyedele chaired the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, where he led the overhaul of Nigeria’s tax framework. The committee’s recommendations focused on streamlining tax laws, improving revenue collection and widening the tax base in a bid to strengthen public finances.
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Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy specialist with more than two decades of professional experience. He began his academic journey at Yaba College of Technology, earning a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy and Finance, before obtaining a BSc in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University.
He further enhanced his expertise through executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science and the Harvard Kennedy School.
Before entering government service, Oyedele spent 22 years at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader. His private sector experience, combined with his leadership in tax reform, positions him at the centre of Nigeria’s ongoing fiscal restructuring efforts.
Beyond policy work, Oyedele is a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.
The appointment comes at a critical time for Nigeria’s economy, as the government pursues revenue reforms, subsidy restructuring and broader economic stabilisation measures. Observers say Oyedele’s elevation signals a continued emphasis on tax reform and fiscal discipline as the administration seeks to boost non-oil revenue and strengthen investor confidence.
His confirmation by the Senate will determine how quickly he assumes office and begins implementing the next phase of the government’s financial reform agenda.
