Tax reform bill: Northern Forum backs Tinubu for rejecting NEC's decision

By Dansu Peter 

The Progressive Northern Youth Forum (PNYF) has praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for rejecting the National Economic Council's (NEC) recommendation to withdraw the tax reform bills.

During the 144th meeting of the NEC, led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the council suggested that the bills be withdrawn following a meeting of governors from the 19 northern states in Kaduna, where they, along with prominent traditional leaders from the region, collectively decided to oppose the Nigeria Tax Reform Bill.

But President Tinubu, through a statement issued by his media aide, Bayo Onanuga, urged the NEC to allow the process to run its full course.

The PNYF, in a statement signed by its Secretary General, Abdulkadir Bala, expressed its support for the President's decision to disregard the stance of NEC members, particularly the Northern Governors' Forum. 

Bala emphasized that the position taken by the Northern Governors’ Forum does not accurately represent the views of the people of the region regarding the tax reform bills.

"The Progressive Northern Youth Forum (PNYF) commends President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for rejecting the National Economic Council's (NEC) recommendation to withdraw the tax reform bills," the statement said. 

"We also want to clarify that the North does not support the position of the Northern Governors' Forum regarding the tax reform bills. The Forum’s call for the withdrawal of these bills does not represent the views of the people in the region.

"The governors have consistently demonstrated a lack of initiative to lead the North and instead rely on federal allocations, squandering the resources of the people. rather than proposing similar bills to enhance their states' internally generated revenues, the governors are inexplicably opposing efforts to reduce dependence on the federal government.

"If the governors genuinely cared for their constituents, they would have taken advantage of the opportunity to provide input and propose changes during the legislative process, rather than calling for the withdrawal of the bills from the National Assembly.

"What is the Northern Governors' Forum afraid of? Clearly, they are afraid of taking responsibility. They want to continue being financially sustained by the Federal Government without making any efforts to develop their own revenue-generating initiatives. There is no evidence to show that the current Northern governors have effectively utilized all the allocations they have received from President Tinubu's federal government.

"The governors should stop opposing people-oriented bills brought forth by the federal government and focus on fulfilling their responsibilities to the public. Otherwise, the people may feel compelled to demand their impeachment or resignation.

"Once again, we commend President Tinubu for remaining steadfast in his support of the tax reform bills, despite attempts by some self-serving individuals to dissuade him.

"The North fully supports the tax reform bills, as they aim to streamline Nigeria’s tax administration processes, completely overhaul the nation’s tax operations, and align them with global best practices."