A prominent Nigerian political figure, Buba Galadima, has criticized the controversial tax reform bills recently submitted to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, arguing that the proposed legislation “cannot stand the test of time” and requires broader consultation with stakeholders.
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Speaking on “ThisDay Life,” a Sunday talk show on Arise News Tv, Galadima emphasized that the bills, particularly the VAT reforms, could worsen economic hardship for Nigerians. “If you increase VAT by 0.1%, prices in the country will skyrocket. The situation in Nigeria now is that you don’t add any hardship on the people,” he stated.
Galadima highlighted constitutional concerns regarding revenue sharing provisions in the bills, arguing that the federal government lacks the authority to determine revenue distribution. “The sharing of revenue is not the responsibility of the federal government or the National Assembly. It is the responsibility of the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission,” he explained.
The political stalwart also challenged the consultation process, claiming that key stakeholders were excluded during the bills’ development. He revealed that some committee members are privately distancing themselves from the final version submitted to the President, suggesting it primarily favors Lagos State’s interests.
According to Buba Galadima, some committee members are privately disowning the final bill submitted to President Bola Tinubu, citing concerns over the compilation process. He alleged that Oyedele selectively chose recommendations while setting aside some committee submissions. “Members of his panel are already disowning the final bill sent to Mr. President because they were put in the committees and each committee submitted its report, but in compiling the general report, some ideas from some committees were completely set aside,” Galadima claimed.
The political stalwart further alleged that Oyedele “chose what he needs and took it to Mr. President.” According to Galadima, the proper procedure would have been to reconvene all committee members to review and adopt a final consolidated report before submission to the President.
“Why is he not generous enough when he collects all the committee reports to call all of them, sit down, look at these committees, and adopt a final report to Mr. President? Which he has not done,” Galadima questioned.
Buba Galadima also alleged that state governors were largely excluded from consultations during the development of the controversial tax reform bills, with only Lagos State having significant input into the process.
Speaking futher Galadima revealed, “Most governors in Nigeria are so piqued because when this bill was being created by Taiwo [Oyedele] and his group, they never consulted any governor outside Lagos. For them, it is an ego problem that it is only the views of the governor of Lagos that is in this bill.”
When questioned about claims that the bill was presented to the National Economic Council (NEC), Galadima disputed assertions of comprehensive consultation. He challenged the effectiveness of these presentations, suggesting that even if individual governors privately express support to the President, they are collectively opposed to the bills.
“Even if any governor as an individual tells Mr. President that he’s supporting him, let him tell that governor that he’s lying. All of them are speaking with one voice,” Galadima stated.
However, Galadima notably urged against framing the opposition in regional terms, repeatedly cautioning against using terms like “Northern governors” or “Southern governors.” He emphasized, “We should be looking at these issues dispassionately… You don’t build a nation by segregating it into tribal or religious segments.”
While acknowledging the need for revenue expansion, Galadima called for a more inclusive approach to fiscal reforms. “Let’s put all hands together, look at this bill dispassionately. It’s a Nigerian bill, not a sectional bill or a personal bill of anybody,” he advocated.
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