By Ajibade Adegbayibi
President Bola Tinubu has sworn in Mr Taiwo Oyedele, the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, as Minister of State for Finance, extolling his determination and dedication to duty.
President Tinubu, who spoke after the brief ceremony at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the appointment was a vote of confidence in Mr Oyedele.
The President extolled the new minister for his professionalism in coordinating the work of the Tax Reforms Committee.
He noted that Oyedele’s commitment and deep knowledge of tax policy played a critical role in shaping the reforms designed to simplify the tax system, expand the revenue base, and create a more business-friendly environment in Nigeria.
“We are very proud of your knowledge, your simplicity, ambition, and excellence. I congratulate your wife for standing up to our challenge of time management and long hours of absence.
“This is additional responsibility, and I hope you will encourage and support him,” President Tinubu told the wife of the new minister.
He also acknowledged Oyedele’s zeal, patience, and determination to serve his fatherland with courage.
“Thank you for accepting to serve your country, especially for reforming the entire tax policy of this country that was obsolete and fundamentally against every progressive thinking.
“You are a very dedicated and highly determined individual. It didn’t take much for me to decide where you fit and where you need to be to further help with the economy.
“It is a very challenging job because we look at the fiscal policy and responsibility that come with it at the time that economic stability is being experienced, but without exponential growth. It’s always very difficult, but you are fit to be there,” the President said.
Oyedele, from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.
He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance, and later attended Oxford Brookes University, where he earned a BSc in applied accounting.
He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.
Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.
Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business Sch
