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By Oscar Okhifo, Abuja
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has suspended its planned nationwide protest on January 14 against the Federal Government’s Tax Reform Law, following discussions with government officials.
The decision came after a meeting with Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, in Abuja on Tuesday, during which the students received clarifications on the intent and provisions of the law.
The outcome was confirmed at the maiden Expanded National Executive Council (ENEC) meeting of the association.
Reading the communiqué, NANS National President, Olushola Oladoja, said the association’s decision to suspend the protest followed “satisfactory response from relevant government authorities on the import of the law.”
He described the law as “a deliberate and well-intentioned law aimed at improving Nigeria’s economy, strengthening institutional frameworks for revenue generation, with deliberate provisions to protect low-income earners and vulnerable citizens.”
Oladoja explained that “the law does not target the poor but strengthens social protection while ensuring that higher-income earners contribute more equitably to national revenue, preventing lopsidedness and unnecessary tax burdens on a few.”
Passing a vote of confidence on President Bola Tinubu, he added that “the law provides for centralized revenue generation with a clear and transparent sharing formula across the Federal Government, State Governments, and Local Governments.
“The National Association of Nigerian Students shall serve as ambassadors of public enlightenment, committed to educating Nigerians on the purpose, importance, and benefits of the Tax Reform Law to boost citizens’ confidence and trust in the Federal Government during the implementation of this law.”
Earlier, Oyedele explained that the new law is not designed to burden low-income Nigerians but to reinforce social protection mechanisms while promoting fairness in revenue generation.
He said the law prioritizes the welfare of vulnerable groups by shielding them from additional tax pressure, even as it restructures the system to reflect ability to pay.
The reform, he added, seeks to correct long-standing imbalances in the tax system by ensuring that higher-income earners make a proportionately greater contribution to national revenue, building a more inclusive fiscal environment where economic realities are taken into account.
Members of the ENEC meeting were drawn from the NANS National Executive Council, as well as presidents and senate presidents of the National Association of University Students (NAUS), National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), National Association of Colleges of Education Students (NANCES), NANS zonal coordinators across the six geopolitical zones, and Joint Campus Council chairmen nationwide.
NANS had initially called for the suspension of the tax law and planned a peaceful nationwide protest, including a march to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, citing public concerns and what it described as the Federal Government’s failure to follow constitutional processes.
The students’ decision to suspend the protest signals a willingness to engage constructively with the government while promoting public awareness of the law’s benefits.