How Tinubu Hired Some Cheap Influencers to Defend Planned Tax Hike with False Ghana Comparison – David Hundeyin

How Tinubu Hired Some Cheap Influencers to Defend Planned Tax Hike with False Ghana Comparison – David Hundeyin

 

 

Investigative journalist, David Hundeyin, has accused President Bola Tinubu of sponsoring influencers to justify a proposed increase in Nigeria’s Value-Added Tax (VAT) by drawing misleading comparisons with Ghana.

 

Hundeyin, in a post shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, alleged that some Nigerian influencers were flown to Ghana to promote Tinubu’s tax policy by comparing Nigeria’s VAT rate of 7.5 percent with Ghana’s 15 percent.

 

He claimed the move was part of a strategy designed to sway public opinion in favor of the hike from 7.5 percent to 10 percent, despite Nigeria’s weaker economic indicators when compared to Ghana.

 

On May 7, 2025, the Nigerian Senate approved two of the four major tax reform bills presented by Tinubu’s administration. However, the upper chamber rejected the proposed increase in VAT to 10 percent, opting instead to maintain the existing 7.5 percent. Lawmakers did, however, approve provisions allowing VAT input claims on fixed assets, overheads, and administrative expenses.

 

Hundeyin alleged that the push for a VAT hike was not entirely domestic. According to him, Tinubu was acting on the instructions of a “puppet master in Washington” who reportedly advised him to raise the tax. He further described the campaign as an International Monetary Fund (IMF)-inspired effort to frame Nigeria’s tax policy as comparable to Ghana’s.

 

The journalist pointed out that such comparisons were misleading because Ghana’s per capita income is nearly three times higher than Nigeria’s, meaning Ghanaians have greater purchasing power to absorb higher taxes.

 

“Ghana’s VAT is 15%. So the puppet is sending influencers to make false comparisons with Ghanaian prices without considering incomes, where Ghana’s per capita income is nearly three times that of Nigeria,” Hundeyin wrote.

 

He specifically mentioned an influencer named Ruth, accusing her and others of pushing the IMF-backed narrative to present Tinubu’s government in a positive light, despite the potential hardship the policy would cause ordinary Nigerians.

 

Hundeyin wrote:

“Let me just tell you people ahead of time what this gig is about. The oyibo puppet master in Washington DC last month told his puppet in Aso Rock to raise Nigeria’s Value Added Tax from 7.5% to 10%.”

 

“Ghana’s VAT is 15%. So the puppet is sending influencers to make false comparisons with Ghanaian prices (without comparing incomes where Ghana’s per capita income in nearly 3x that of Nigeria), to prepare your mind for a tax hike.”

 

“That’s what Ruth and her fellow abominable stupid fucks are doing in Ghana. It’s an IMF gig, but they’re too stupid to know how badly they have undercharged.”

Thank you and goodbye. punchng.com/imf-predicts-0…

 

Hundeyin also cited media reports highlighting the negative implications of the proposed tax hike, warning that such measures would worsen living conditions for Nigerians already battling inflation and declining incomes.