President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of John Nwabueze as Nigeria’s first Tax Ombudsman.
The Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced the appointment in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
Onanuga stated that the appointment was in line with the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2025.
According to him, the appointment was part of Tinubu’s government’s wider agenda to improve accountability, fairness, and confidence in the Nigeria’s tax and revenue system.
Until his appointment, Nwabueze served as Managing Partner of a leading tax advisory firm and previously worked as Technical Adviser to the Joint Senate Committees on the Federal Capital Territory and Finance, as well as Technical Adviser to the Chief Economic Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
While congratulating Nwabueze, the president said he was confident in his ability to execute the role with integrity, diligence, and professionalism.
The Office of the Tax Ombudsman, newly established under the Act, is designed to provide an independent channel for taxpayers to resolve disputes with tax and revenue authorities.
The office will also handle complaints related to taxes, levies, customs duties, excise, regulatory fees, and other fiscal matters.
“The office will offer a structured mechanism for fair and impartial dispute resolution, ensuring redress against arbitrary or abusive conduct by tax officials and improving efficiency in managing disputes.
“The creation of the Tax Ombudsman is viewed as a major step toward strengthening taxpayer confidence, improving Nigeria’s tax culture, and supporting the administration’s push to expand revenue collection without imposing undue burden on citizens or businesses,” the statement said.
