President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. John Nwabueze as the country’s Tax Ombudsman, a move announced in a statement on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
This appointment is part of Tinubu’s wider “ongoing tax and revenue reforms” and is “in line with the provisions of the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2025,” reflecting the President’s “commitment to implementing far-reaching and sustainable reforms in the tax and revenue administration framework.”
The newly created Office of the Tax Ombudsman is designed “to strengthen transparency and accountability within the tax system, enhance confidence in tax administration, and provide a structured mechanism for the fair and impartial resolution of disputes between taxpayers and revenue authorities.”
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Onanuga explained that the office “shall be responsible for receiving, reviewing, and resolving complaints relating to taxes, levies, regulatory fees, customs duties, excise matters, and other related issues, in accordance with extant laws and regulations,” thereby safeguarding the rights of taxpayers against “the arbitrary or abusive exercise of authority by tax officials.”
Before this creation, tax-related complaints were largely managed directly by revenue agencies like the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
Dr. Nwabueze, who hails from Delta State, “brings extensive professional and public service experience to the new job,” according to Onanuga.
His background includes serving as Managing Partner of a tax advisory firm and holding key advisory positions for both the Joint Senate Committees on the Federal Capital Territory and Finance, and the Chief Economic Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Academically, he holds a Doctor of Business Administration in Finance from Walden University, a Master’s degree in Accounting from Strayer University, and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Mathematics from the University of Jos.
President Tinubu “congratulates Nwabueze on this appointment and expresses confidence in his capacity to discharge the responsibilities of his office with integrity, diligence, and utmost professionalism.”
The establishment of this new office marks a continuation of the reform agenda championed by the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee.
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