* Express Disappointment Over Stance Of Barau On Bills
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The tax reform bills before the National Assembly have triggered resentment in the Northern region of the country.
This is as youth under the auspices of the “Northern Youth Assembly” heavily criticized the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin for “ being insensitive to the problems the passage of those bills could cause the region.”
They described the bills as anti-North, saying it would further relegate the region economically. They said the Northern Youth Assembly is particularly angry over the fact that the Deputy Senate President presided over the sitting where the bills passed Second Reading.
In an open letter signed by Ali Mohammed Idris and Abdulhafiz Garba, President and Secretary of the assembly, respectively, they maintained that the DSP Barau’s position on the bills doesn’t represent the interest of the North.
The letter reads: “The Northern Youth Assembly (Majalisar Matasan Arewa), on behalf of the 19 northern states leadership of the assembly, wishes to express our unequivocal disappointment and dismay in you, following your action towards the scaling for the second reading, of an evil tax reform bill, which would certainly undermine the North, and further relegate the region economically and commercially.
‘’Your support for the passage of the proposed evil tax reform bill put forth by the Tinubu administration is the highest order of your insensitivity to the economic and commercial plight of your constituency, Kano State and the entire Northern Nigeria.
“As representatives of the Northern Nigerian youths, we believe the proposed tax reform bill, in its current form, would surely disproportionately affect the economic livelihoods and aspirations of our people, and it is of course without taking into cognizance of the current economic reality in the country.”
They added, “Our disappointment is more on your attitude at the Senate plenary to impose your opinion and interest. Even though you are quite aware that this bill is anti-North and has the tendency of further impoverishing the people in the North, and would further cripple economic and commercial activities in the region, and yet you are hell-bent on making it a reality. While it is obvious that the proposed tax reform is of so much interest to the people at the centre, however, your unwavering enthusiasm to champion the bill, which is anti-North, exposes your misguided commitment to the course of protecting the interest of those you represent. Practically, the North faces a barrage of critical issues such as shortage of electricity supply, rampant insecurity across the region, naked poverty, unemployment and a dismal state of infrastructure, to name just a few, but you have yet resolved to lead the war of further destroying the little prospects left of the North.
“Let us remind you that the purpose of your election was to fundamentally champion the course to address the development challenges facing your region, through effective legislative engagement, rather than dedicating your energy to serve an anti-northern Nigeria agenda, which would further marginalize the Northern Nigerian people, the region where you come from. It would be wiser and more beneficial for you to prioritize your focus towards championing the course of alleviating the pressing socio-economic challenges ravaging the people in the North.
“This tax reform, in its current form, threatens to exacerbate the burdens of businesses and families in Northern Nigeria—that are already struggling to survive due to inconsistent power supply and un-friendly government policies which have been crippling the economy and growth of Northern Nigeria.”
It continued, “Northern Nigeria requires only the leaders who could speak in the interest of the region, not hired lobbyists and agents of destruction, who would do everything to misguide and deceive their people for some cheap political gains.
“We wish to inform you that the Northern Youth Assembly is highly disappointed in you and your cohorts for accepting to be engaged to destroy the north and its future.
“We are committed to fighting this course with our last drop of blood and to expose you and your likes, who are ready to auction the North and its future, as we could no longer trust and surrender our destiny into the hands of political merchants, betrayers and political hypocrites.
“The proposed Tinubu Tax Reform Bill is evil and that was the reason the National Economic Advisory Council and Northern governors rejected the bill in the first place, while people like you are trying to justify what is wrong in its totality to cash on the situation for some cheap political gain.
“We wish to finally advise you to change your ways…’’
Recall that since the bills were sent to the National Assembly by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, lawmakers and politicans of northern extraction have been expressing concern.
The four bills are the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2024 -SB.583, The Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) BILL, 2024- SB.584, The Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, 2024-SB.585, and The Nigeria Tax Bill, 2024 – SB.586.
Last week, the bills passed Second Reading in the Senate despite notable objections from some lawmakers. Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, described the proposed fiscal laws as “a significant move to overhaul the country’s tax system.”
However, the North, according to Governor Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno State, is united in its opposition as all sections of its leadership consider the bills as being against the region’s socio-economic development.
