The Catholic bishops of the Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province have thrown their weight behind the controversial tax reforms implemented by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The clerics, in a communiqué issued at the end of the bishops’ first provincial meeting for 2026 in Ibadan on Tuesday, described Mr Tinubu’s critics as “agents of misinformation” seeking to discredit the reforms.

“The ongoing tax reforms have generated controversies all over the country in spite of the spirited effort of the authorities to explain their merits and benefits for the poor and the less privileged among us,” the communiqué stated. “Unfortunately, agents of misinformation have also been hard at work to discredit the new scheme in spite of the consultations that preceded its legislation.”

The church urged Mr Tinubu’s administration to continue addressing anxieties the reforms had generated, especially among vulnerable Nigerians, stressing the need for transparency and accountability throughout the process.

“We urge the government and concerned authorities to continue to do all they can to allay the anxieties of the people, give the reforms a human face, and give the most vulnerable among us the latitude to get used to the new tax regimes before applying the full force of the law.

“Altogether, fairness, transparency, and accountability must govern the conduct of government and the tax authorities in this entire process,” the communiqué added.

Misgivings have trailed the re-gazetted tax law since it became fully operational on January 1, 2026.

However, the government allayed fears that the tax law would adversely affect poor and vulnerable Nigerians, insisting that more than 95 per cent of poor Nigerians were fully exempted from paying taxes under the new laws.