In spite of growing opposition to President Bola Tinubu’s controversial tax reform bills before lawmakers, Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin says he is committed to ensuring their passage in the National Assembly.
Persecondnews reported that Northern Nigeria and the National Executive Council (NEC), chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima and comprising 36 state governors, had recommended to Tinubu to withdraw the bills.
However, the president dismissed the calls, asserting that Nigerians and lawmakers have the ability to make necessary changes to the bills prior to their passage.
In a statement, the Presidential Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu had urged the National Assembly to allow the process to unfold while welcoming ongoing consultations to address any concerns.
Jibrin said he remained committed to ensuring their passage in the National Assembly.
The proposed reforms have faced significant opposition, with some stakeholders, including Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South, declaring the bills “dead on arrival.”
Speaking on Channels TV Sunday Politics anchored by Seun Okinbaloye, Jibrin, representing the Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State in the House of Representatives, said the North is not unanimously opposed to the bill.
He underscored that many of the clauses in the bills align with long-standing objectives for national progress.
“It is not a consensus in the North that this bill should be shut down… I can confidently tell you that the bill will go through the processes in the National Assembly and it will be passed,” Jibrin said.
Jibrin emphasized that upon enactment, Nigerians will perceive the bills as neither detrimental to national interests nor harmful to the North.
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