President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr John Nwabueze as Nigeria’s first Tax Ombudsman, in line with the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2025.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who said the appointment aligns with the administration’s broader fiscal reform agenda aimed at strengthening public trust in Nigeria’s revenue system and improving compliance through fairness and due process.
Nwabueze, from Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State, is an experienced tax and fiscal governance expert with decades of work spanning the private and public sectors. His career has included serving as Managing Partner of a tax advisory firm, Technical Adviser to the Joint Senate Committees on the Federal Capital Territory and Finance, and Technical Adviser to the Chief Economic Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He holds a Doctorate in Public Administration (Finance) from Walden University, Minneapolis, a Master’s degree in Accounting from Strayer University, Washington D.C., and Bachelor’s degrees in Accounting and Mathematics from the University of Jos.
President Tinubu, in congratulating the new appointee, expressed confidence in his ability “to discharge the responsibilities of the office with integrity, diligence, and utmost professionalism.”
According to the statement, the Office of the Tax Ombudsman has been established to enhance transparency and accountability within Nigeria’s tax ecosystem, and to provide an impartial mechanism for resolving disputes between taxpayers and revenue authorities.
The office will receive and review complaints relating to taxes, levies, regulatory fees, customs duties, excise matters and related issues — ensuring fair and non-adversarial resolution processes. It will also serve as a watchdog to prevent abuse of power and arbitrary conduct by tax officials — a move expected to boost confidence, reduce litigation, and encourage voluntary tax compliance.
“The creation of this office is a crucial step toward a more transparent and citizen-friendly tax administration,” the statement said, noting that similar structures already exist in several advanced economies as recognised oversight mechanisms balancing revenue targets with taxpayer rights.
Immediate priorities for Nwabueze include establishing the institutional framework for the new office, developing standard operating procedures for complaints resolution, and strengthening coordination with revenue bodies including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria Customs Service, and state revenue agencies.
The appointment comes as Nigeria intensifies fiscal reforms aimed at broadening the tax base, reducing leakages, and improving service delivery across revenue-generating institutions.
The new tax reform laws — signed on 26 June 2025 and recently published in the government gazette — form part of the administration’s effort to overhaul Nigeria’s fiscal framework and create a more business-friendly regulatory environment.
