President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has written to the Senate seeking the screening and confirmation of Taiwo Oyedele as Minister of State for Finance, replacing Doris Uzoka-Anite.
The President’s letter was read during plenary on Tuesday by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
Until his nomination, Oyedele, who hails from Ikaram in Akoko, served as chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, where he played a key role in reforms aimed at restructuring Nigeria’s tax system.
Oyedele, 50, is widely regarded as an economist, accountant and public policy expert with extensive experience in fiscal policy.
He studied at Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma in accountancy and finance, and later attended Oxford Brookes University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in applied accounting.
He also participated in executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, Gordon Institute of Business Science and the Harvard Kennedy School.
Oyedele spent 22 years working at PwC after joining the organisation in 2001. During his time there, he rose to become Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.
In addition to his professional career, he is also a professor at Babcock University and serves as a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu has also asked the Senate to screen and confirm Magnus Abe as chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission following the resignation of Gbenga Komolafe.
Also nominated for confirmation are Paul Yaro Jezhi and Sunday Adebayo Babalola as non-executive commissioners.
Akpabio subsequently referred the nominations to the Senate Committee on Petroleum Upstream for further legislative consideration.
What you should know
Taiwo Oyedele is widely known for leading Nigeria’s recent fiscal policy and tax reform efforts under the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms.
The committee introduced major proposals aimed at simplifying Nigeria’s tax structure, boosting government revenue, and improving compliance. His nomination as Minister of State for Finance is seen as a move to strengthen economic reforms within the federal government.
If confirmed by the Senate, Oyedele is expected to play a key role in implementing fiscal policies and supporting Nigeria’s broader economic restructuring agenda.
