ECONOMIC WARNING: If re-elected, Tinubu will make Nigerians pay 25% of their earnings as tax – Kingibe
By OUR REPORTER
According to reports, the senator said Nigerians were unaware that the law had already been passed and suggested that its implementation would begin after the next general election.
Senator Ireti Kingibe has raised concerns over Nigeria’s new tax law, claiming that legislation passed by the pro-executive National Assembly will require Nigerians to pay 25 percent of their earnings in tax after the 2027 general elections.
Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the Senate, reportedly made the claim in a video circulating online on Monday, October 19, 2026.
According to reports, the senator said Nigerians were unaware that the law had already been passed and suggested that its implementation would begin after the next general election.
However, the claim that every Nigerian will pay 25 percent of their earnings as personal income tax does not accurately reflect the provisions of the Nigeria Tax Act 2025.
President Bola Tinubu signed the tax reform legislation into law on June 26, 2025, with the new framework taking effect on January 1, 2026.
Under the new system, personal income tax rates are progressive, meaning the amount payable depends on an individual’s taxable income.
The law provides a 0 percent personal income tax rate on the first ₦800,000 of annual taxable income, while rates increase across income brackets to a maximum of 25 percent on taxable income exceeding ₦50 million annually.
Consequently, the 25 percent rate does not apply to every Nigerian or to every naira earned by someone in the highest tax bracket.
Kingibe’s comments have nevertheless brought renewed attention to the potential effects of the tax reforms on workers, households and businesses amid continuing concerns about the cost of living.
The key distinction is that Nigeria’s tax law provides for a maximum personal income tax rate of 25 percent, not a universal 25 percent levy on every Nigerian’s earnings.
Nigerians, who have witnessed untold hardship from the already implemented economic reforms of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Tinubu government, have been asked to vote wisely in 2027 if they don’t want to go the way of the hardship for another four years.
