President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s proposed tax reforms have sparked significant controversy, with northern state governors and National Assembly members ramping up efforts to block the president’s initiatives.
Sources indicate that governors from the seven states in the North-West and six from the North-East are leading the latest pushback, joined by two additional governors from the North-Central region.
Not all northern governors, however, are opposed to the reforms. Reports suggest that four governors from the region support Tinubu’s proposals. Of these, three belong to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and one is a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Pressure is mounting on two presiding officers from the North-West in the National Assembly to align with the dissenting governors.
Sources have disclosed to Saturday Sun that influential traditional rulers and religious leaders have been brought in to persuade the officers to block the bills. However, it is still uncertain whether these officers will yield to the pressure.
A group of northern lawmakers, led by former Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume, has actively rallied against the tax bills within both legislative chambers.
Ndume, in numerous public statements, has called the bills “dead on arrival” and criticized them as detrimental to the northern region.
“The proposed tax increases would further burden Nigerians,” Ndume argued. “The middle class is already on the brink of disappearing. If people cannot sustain their livelihoods, additional taxes are not feasible.
First, we need to improve living conditions so that citizens have disposable income before considering increased taxation. It’s common sense—you cannot ask for a blood donation from someone who’s already anemic.”
Although many senators have refrained from publicly opposing the tax reforms, sources suggest that efforts to undermine the bills are ongoing behind the scenes.
President Tinubu, despite the rising resistance, has made it clear he does not plan to withdraw the proposed tax reforms. However, he has expressed a willingness to incorporate feedback from the legislature and amend the bills where necessary.
The reform package has drawn extensive scrutiny and includes critical legislative pieces aimed at overhauling the country’s tax system.
This includes the Nigeria Tax Bill, which seeks to eliminate redundant taxes; the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, which aims to standardize tax processes nationwide; the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, proposing the rebranding of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS); and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill, designed to create a unified tax management body.