Why Northern Govs Asked Tinubu to Pause on Tax Reform Bills—Zulum
The governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, clarified on Sunday why the governors of the north had requested President Bola Tinubu to delay implementing the contentious tax reform measures.
The Northern Governors Forum just requires time for consultation, according to the governor who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
We felt the tax code should elaborate on the VAT clause since “there are many misconceptions surrounding this tax issue.” Our research indicates that this plan would only have a positive impact on the states of Lagos and Rivers. After conducting our own analysis, Zulum declared that they would come out on the losing end.
To what end are we rushing? We urged the federal government to hold off for the time being and remove provisions that would hurt Northern Nigeria.
“Our position is that additional time and thorough consultation are needed to fully grasp the details of this tax regime before it is enacted into law.”
According to Zulum, the proposal will mostly help Lagos State if it passes the National Assembly.
To have these legislation passed into law, President Tinubu requested the National Assembly’s consent in October.
Here are the bills: 2024-SB.583, which establishes the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria; 2024-SB.584, which establishes the Nigeria Revenue Service; 2024-SB.585, which establishes the Nigeria Tax Administration; and 2024-SB.586, which is the Nigeria Tax Bill.
However, the tax reform measures were approved on second reading by the Senate on November 28.
He maintained that the northern governors do not oppose President Tinubu’s government, contrary to what has been implied in some places.
Zulum remembers being one of the few governors who firmly advocated for a power rotation to the south before to the 2023 general election.
As a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the governor stated that he supported Tinubu’s bid for the presidency.
Since more than 60% of Tinubu’s total vote in the 2023 general election came from the north, he claims that the north cannot be against Tinubu.
He was disappointed to hear that certain people were circulating the myth that northerners are hostile to Tinubu’s administration.
“I am an ardent supporter of the APC. To determine how many governors backed Tinubu before to 2019 and 2023, Governor Zulum would most likely be included. He was the first governor to openly advocate for a southern power shift.
“A lot of people informed the president that the North was against him, which is unfortunate. He went on to say that 60.2% of his votes were cast in the northern states.