Public affairs analyst and activist, Comrade Chris Ojiekere, has strongly condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s proposed 2026 tax reforms including that of sex workers, describing them as “insensitive, immoral, and proof that this administration has lost touch with the suffering Nigerian people.”
Ojiekere’s outrage follows recent remarks credited to Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform Committee, who reportedly stated during a public event that “even if a sex worker earns from her trade, as long as she pays tax, government doesn’t care how she makes the money.”
The activist said the statement reflects “a dangerous collapse of morality and governance under Tinubu’s watch,” arguing that such a stance promotes illegality and undermines societal values.
“When a government official says it doesn’t matter how you make money — even through prostitution — as long as you pay tax, it shows a government that has obliterated the line between what is moral, legal, and criminal,” Ojiekere stated.
Ojiekere said the proposed 2026 tax regime is coming at a time when Nigerians are already battling record inflation, job losses, and hunger. He described the Tinubu government as “a government of pain, hunger, and anguish” that has inflicted hardship across all sectors of the economy.
“From small business owners to civil servants, every Nigerian feels the bite of this government’s economic recklessness,” he lamented. “Electricity tariffs, telecom charges, and fuel prices keep rising, while there’s no relief in sight.”
The activist accused President Tinubu of removing fuel subsidy “in a show of bravado at Eagle Square” without any plan to cushion the effects on citizens. He said the policy has thrown millions into poverty and exposed the administration’s “incompetence or wickedness.”
“If he didn’t know the consequences, it shows incompetence. If he did, it shows wickedness. Either way, Nigerians are the victims,” Ojiekere asserted.
No Policy to Ease Suffering
Ojiekere compared Tinubu’s policies unfavorably with those of former President Muhammadu Buhari, whom he called “a disaster” but said at least had initiatives like the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme that supported local farmers.
“Tinubu’s government has not created a single policy to alleviate suffering. Instead, it keeps inventing new taxes,” he said. “From January 2026, Nigerians are expected to pay more, even as poverty deepens.”
A Government of Wastage and Corruption
The activist also condemned what he described as “wanton waste and misplaced priorities” in Tinubu’s administration, citing reports that over 4,000 delegates attended a climate change conference in Dubai — many of whom, he claimed, “were political hangers-on and concubines.”
“This is a government that buys new jets while citizens can’t afford food. There’s no productive investment, only endless waste,” he said.
Ojiekere added that Tinubu has failed to utilize Nigeria’s huge economic potentials, including the ₦7 trillion maritime sector, ₦6 trillion textile industry, and vast mining reserves worth up to $25 billion annually.
“Everywhere you look, there’s decay — no industrial plan, no youth empowerment, no agricultural revival. Just taxes, tariffs, and suffering,” he said.
Assault on Democracy
Beyond the economy, Ojiekere accused the administration of “undermining democracy and the judiciary.” He alleged that no election conducted under Tinubu’s watch has been credible, and that the government has tolerated open boasts about judicial influence by some of its officials.
He cited the political crisis in Rivers State as an example of federal overreach and abuse of power.
“Governor Fubara was chased out of Government House by soldiers like a criminal, while the federal government looked away. This is not democracy; it’s a dictatorship in disguise,” Ojiekere said.
Ojiekere concluded that President Tinubu’s government will go down in history as “a government of hunger, waste, and moral decay.”
“When you combine plans to tax sex workers with policies that worsen poverty, you know a government has lost its way. This is a regime of pain and insensitivity,” he declared.
