Jonathan-Era DG to Tinubu’s Tax Man: Stop Talking Down to Angry Nigerians, Cushion Hunger, Despair

By Jeremy Fregene
Former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Joe Abah, has faulted comments by the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Zacch Adedeji, urging government officials to stop appearing dismissive of Nigerians’ economic pains and instead deploy rising public revenues to cushion the effects of hunger and the soaring cost of living.

Abah was reacting to a viral video in which Adedeji defended President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms and challenged critics to explain what they would have done differently.

In the video, Adedeji said critics of the administration’s economic policies should be asked what alternative measures they would have adopted, insisting that President Tinubu had elevated the country’s economic management beyond what many Nigerians understood.

Responding, Abah said the answer was simple: governments introducing painful reforms must simultaneously provide effective social protection to shield citizens from the resulting hardship.

Drawing on examples from the United Kingdom, he pointed to measures such as electricity tax relief, subsidised public transportation, and targeted support for vulnerable households as practical interventions that Nigeria could emulate.

According to him, the Tinubu administration should be using the additional revenues generated through its reforms to reduce the burden on struggling Nigerians rather than engaging in arguments with citizens frustrated by worsening living conditions.

“So, I would have used the increasing tax revenue to tackle the cost of living. That is what I would have done differently at my own level. Hope that helps,” Abah said.

His comments resonated widely on social media, where many Nigerians criticised Adedeji’s remarks as insensitive to the realities confronting millions of households battling rising food prices, transport fares, school fees, electricity costs, and other basic expenses.

Several commentators argued that while the Federal Government continues to cite improvements in macroeconomic indicators, many citizens remain unable to feel the benefits in their daily lives.

Others maintained that difficult reforms would have attracted greater public understanding if they had been accompanied by stronger safety nets and clearer communication on how ordinary Nigerians would benefit.