President Bola Tinubu has sworn-in Taiwo Oyedele as the Minister of State for Finance.
The ceremony which took place briefly on Monday at the State House in Abuja, comes about two weeks after his nomination by the President, after which his name was forwarded to the Senate for confirmation.
President Tinubu, who spoke after the brief ceremony at the Presidential Villa, said the appointment was a vote of confidence in Mr Oyedele.
He extolled the new minister for his professionalism in coordinating the work of the Tax Reforms Committee, noting 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.
With the appointment, Oyedele replaces Doris Uzoka-Anite who now moves to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning as Minister of State — her third portfolio since joining the administration.
Until his nomination, he served as Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, where he played a leading role in overhauling Nigeria’s tax system.
A native of Ikaram in Akoko, Ondo State, the 50-year-old economist and public policy expert has built a career spanning academia, private sector leadership, and fiscal reform.
Oyedele holds a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy and Finance from Yaba College of Technology and a BSc in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University.
He has also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.
He spent 22 years at PwC, joining the firm in 2001 and rising to become Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader. In addition to his policy and corporate roles, Oyedele is a professor at Babcock University and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.