The Cheese Has Moved: Tinubu’s Tax Reform and the Quiet Reshaping of Nigeria’s Power Bureaucracy
By Busayo Ogunmade,
In what may be one of the most significant institutional reforms since Nigeria’s return to democracy, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed into law a sweeping tax and revenue reform bill aimed at restructuring the country’s revenue-generating architecture. At the heart of this reform is the consolidation of all revenue-collecting agencies of the federal government — not just the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), but also major bodies like the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
“The move creates a centralized, streamlined revenue system, inspired by global models such as the United Kingdom’s HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) — a single authority responsible for tax collection, customs, and border administration.”
The goal: efficiency, accountability, and enhanced national revenue intelligence.
Beyond Revenue – A Bureaucratic Reshuffle
While most headlines emphasize revenue optimization and governance efficiency, the underlying development is more transformative: the quiet dismantling of entrenched regional bureaucracies and power blocs that have long wielded disproportionate control over these agencies.
“For decades, these institutions operated with considerable autonomy, often shielded by regional and ethnic loyalties.”
Appointments, procurement, policy execution, and staffing were commonly shaped by sectional interests, weakening federal oversight and promoting institutional inefficiency.
From Decentralization to Strategic Integration
The Tinubu administration’s reform marks a clear departure from the fragmented model. By merging previously autonomous agencies under a unified command, the government is eliminating redundancy, fostering transparency, and enabling data-driven fiscal governance.
“Operational silos — such as those between customs, ports, oil regulatory bodies, and maritime administration — will now function under a consolidated framework, reducing bureaucratic overlap and leakages.”
This is a political recalibration, shifting influence away from regional power zones to a more merit-based national revenue system.
Curtailing Informal Power Blocs
This reform also signals the decline of informal power blocs that once held sway over key revenue institutions.
“The insulation of some agencies — where ethnic loyalty often trumped merit — is being dismantled.”
With the new structure, fiscal oversight, staffing, and procurement decisions will now be subject to standardized regulations and oversight — regardless of past regional strongholds.
National Integration, Not Suppression
Some might view this realignment through a tribal or sectional lens. But the broader picture is one of national integration.
“This isn’t about suppressing regional influence — it’s about replacing outdated, inefficient models with unified systems that deliver national results.”
If properly implemented, it could become a model of institutional reform achieved without a constitutional amendment — relying instead on bold executive action and policy recalibration.
Tinubu’s Calculated Risk
President Tinubu, known for engineering Lagos’ financial independence through internal revenue reforms in the early 2000s, is once again playing the long game.
“This tax reform may be his most strategic gamble yet: reducing elite rent-seeking, boosting IGR, and redefining the power matrix of Nigeria’s public sector.”
Conclusion: Who Moves with the Cheese?
This reform quietly initiates a revolution in Nigeria’s bureaucratic structure — replacing regional fiefdoms with national systems.
“It’s a reminder that profound legacy reforms often occur beneath the noise of daily politics.”
Indeed, the cheese has moved. The question now is not just who noticed — but who will evolve with it.
~Busayo Ogunmade
(c) TALKBRAND AFRICA