Rivers Not Fighting FG Over Tax Collection – Wike

Hamilton Nwosa
Writer
Wike Offers N50m, Automatic Employment To Physically-challenged Person

Ad

Trump slams Norway’s $2 trillion wealth fund over Caterpillar divestment

By Obinna Uballa The United States has slammed the decision by Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world with assets worth about $2 trillion, to sell its stake in United States machinery giant Caterpillar, describing the move as troubling and based on “illegitimate claims.” In recent weeks, Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), which…

Reaction as Police Invite El-Rufai, ADC Leaders Over Allegations against State government in Kaduna

By Abiola Olawale The Kaduna State Police Command has invited former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and seven other members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for questioning. The invitation, issued on September 4, 2025, cited allegations of criminal conspiracy, incitement of public disturbance, mischief, and causing grievous hurt. According to a letter signed…

Enugu tragic accidents: Dangote warns against unauthorised use of logo

• Denies involvement in Edo, Enugu accidents By Obinna Uballa Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) has renewed its warning to truck operators against the unauthorised use of its logo on vehicles not affiliated with the company, following two fatal crashes involving Dangote-branded trucks along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway on Wednesday. The company stressed that despite repeated…

Ad

Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers, says the state is not fighting the Federal Government or any of its agencies over collection of Value Added Tax (VAT) as being insinuated in some quarters.

Speaking on Sunday in Abuja at a public lecture entitled: “Taxing Powers in a Federal System” to mark the 60th birthday of Mr Ahmed Raji (SAN), Wike said that the state only tried to pursue what was right and legitimate within the armbits of the constitution.

The governor who represented by the Attorney-General of the State, Mr Zacchaeus Adangor, (SAN) maintained that Rivers and the Federal Government were co-equal because they both derived their life from the constitution.

“I have heard a lot of comments being made that we are fighting the Federal Government, there is no desire or any intention of the Rivers government to fight the Federal Government.

“The principle of co-equality is fundamental to a federal arrangement, that principle leads to the principle of autonomy, autonomy leads to physical autonomy and physical autonomy leads to physical federalism and when you put all the principles together, what it means is that each level of government, whether federal or state is co-equal because none derives its life from the other.

“They both derive their life from the constitution because they have co-equality.

“That is the fundamental aspect of physical federalism and until we get it, we will continue this journey of talking without result but I think that the court has a role to play, the court can lay this crises and controversy to rest when it makes a pronouncement.”

Also speaking at the event, Prof. Abiola Sani appealed to the judiciary to make definite and definitive pronouncement on the impasse surrounding tax collection in Nigeria’s federal system.

Sani, a professor of commercial law, who was the guest lecturer at the occasion called on the National Assembly to use the on-going constitution amendment to bring out clear taxing powers among the three tiers of government. (NAN)

 

Ad

X whatsapp