Nigeria will enforce sweeping new tax laws from January 1, President Bola Tinubu said on Tuesday, dismissing criticism over discrepancies between the gazetted text and the version passed by lawmakers.

After ending costly subsidies and twice devaluing the naira currency in his first year in office in 2023, Tinubu shifted focus to overhauling Nigeria's tax system to boost revenue and efficiency. He urged support for the reforms, calling them a "once-in-a-generation" fiscal reset.

Nigeria's opposition lawmakers allege that the gazetted laws contain unauthorised insertions never approved by parliament. Tinubu, however, said there was nothing to justify halting the process.

"Our administration is aware of the public discourse surrounding alleged changes to some provisions of the recently enacted tax laws. No substantial issue has been established that warrants a disruption of the reform process," the president said in a statement.

'Delivery stage'

Opposition lawmakers say the insertions hand tax authorities sweeping powers, from seizing assets without court orders to upfront deposits before disputes can be heard.

President Tinubu urged businesses and citizens to back the implementation phase, describing it as "firmly in the delivery stage."

Tinubu pledged to uphold due process and vowed to work with lawmakers to address concerns without delay.