Dumebi Kachikwu, the 2023 presidential flagbearer for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has issued a strong warning to the administration of President Bola Tinubu concerning its planned tax reforms. Kachikwu stated that Nigerians cannot afford to begin the year 2026 saddled with additional tax burdens.
A Recipe for Unprecedented Crisis
In a statement made public on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, Kachikwu cautioned that rolling out the proposed tax changes could ignite a crisis of a scale never before seen in Nigeria. He linked this dire prediction to the nation's existing and severe security challenges, suggesting that compounding economic pressure on citizens is a dangerous path.
He argued that what Nigerians desperately need at this moment is care, compassion, and tangible support from their government. Instead, he fears policies that would only serve to deepen the widespread hardship. Drawing a stark parallel, Kachikwu compared the suffering of ordinary Nigerians to the biblical plight of the Israelites under Pharaoh's rule in Egypt.
Surgery Causing Severe Pain
Kachikwu acknowledged that President Tinubu inherited a fragile and troubled economy that demanded urgent intervention. However, he contended that the economic "surgery" performed so far has inflicted intense pain on the very citizens it was meant to help.
He expressed a grave concern that the current beneficiaries of government policies are what he termed "legal robbers"—individuals and corporate entities who profit from state decisions while the majority of the population suffers. While not entirely dismissing the need for tax reforms, he stressed that an already overburdened populace cannot withstand further taxation. This is especially true, he noted, given the pervasive public distrust in how government revenues are managed and spent.
The Erosion of the Middle Class
The former presidential candidate highlighted a specific consequence of additional taxation: the accelerated erosion of Nigeria's middle class. He pointed out that this segment of society now bears the exorbitant costs of private education, healthcare, and other essential services due to the collapse of public institutions. Imposing more taxes on them, he warned, would be a crushing blow.
"My fear is that if implemented as promised, these tax reforms will instigate a crisis of unprecedented proportions, which no one can afford, especially with our current security issues," Kachikwu reiterated.
He concluded by clarifying his stance, noting that while he has supported some of President Tinubu's bold initiatives and would back him over "failed politicians masquerading as the opposition," he cannot endorse any reform that further undermines the livelihoods of ordinary Nigerians.
