Tinubu's Controversial Tax Laws: NANS Begins Mass Protest January 14

The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Says it will commence a nationwide mobilisation of students to protest the implementation of the new tax laws introduced by the President Bola Tinubu-led government’s effective January 1, 2026.

NANS said that January 14, 2026, was the National Day of Action, warning that it would lead a mass protest against what it described as the controversial Tax Reform Law unless their implementation was suspended.

This development comes against the backdrop of growing opposition to the new tax regime, following what some members of the National Assembly described as inconsistencies in what they passed as laws and what were actually signed into laws and gazetted. According to them there were inconsistencies between the versions of the tax bills passed by the National Assembly and the copies later signed and gazetted.

Apart from NANS, the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, former governor of Anambra State, and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, Peter Obi, are among few organisations and prominent personalities including the minority caucus of the House of Representatives, have urged the Federal Government to suspend the implementation pending clarification, even as President Tinubu had Tuesday, dismissed such calls for suspension, noting that no significant issues had been identified to justify interrupting the reform process.

However, the NANS President, Olushola Oladoja, had while reacting to the government’s decision to proceed with the rollout, criticised the move, stating that it was inappropriate to enforce the law while unresolved concerns remain.

He also faulted the Presidency’s statement reaffirming the commencement date, arguing that it disregards the role of Nigerians in a democratic system and sidelines ordinary citizens most affected by the reforms.

According to Oladoja, going ahead with the implementation despite widespread objections undermines democratic engagement and public trust.

He described the government’s stance as a troubling signal for a reform process that ought to be inclusive and transparent.

His words, “The insistence on enforcement from January 1, despite unresolved questions surrounding the law, reflects a dismissive attitude toward citizens’ concerns,” he said as quoted by Daily Trust report.

“For a government that claims to uphold democratic principles, this approach sends the wrong message.”

Meanwhile, NANS has directed its structures at all levels to begin immediate preparations for a peaceful mass protest in Abuja. Oladoja said the planned march would culminate at the Presidential Villa, with students expected to converge at the Unity Fountain