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Just in: Tinubu gives fresh directive on Tax reform Bills
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Following the controversy emanating from the Tax Reforms Bills, President Bola Tinubu has directed the Ministry of Justice to work closely with the National Assembly to address the concerns within and outside the legislature.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, revealed this in a statement he signed Tuesday titled ‘President Tinubu committed to accountability on tax bills, directs Ministry of Justice to work with NASS on concerns.’
Mohammed said, “In line with the established legislative procedure, the Federal Government welcomes meaningful inputs that can address whatever grey areas there may be in the bill.
“In this vein, President Tinubu has already directed the Federal Ministry of Justice and relevant officials who worked on the drafts to work closely with the National Assembly to ensure that all genuine concerns have been addressed before the bills are passed.”
Following approval of the Federal Executive Council in October, President Tinubu transmitted four tax reform bills to the National Assembly for consideration.
The Federal Government says the bills are aimed at overhauling the nation’s tax system.
They include the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill.
The proposed legislation seeks to consolidate existing tax laws, establish clearer frameworks for tax administration, and create bodies like the Tax Appeal Tribunal and the Office of the Tax Ombudsman.
However, they have sparked significant controversy.
Critics argue that the reforms could disrupt the balance of fiscal federalism, potentially centralising tax authority and diminishing state revenues.
Notably, at a meeting on October 28, 2024, governors of the 19 Northern States, under the platform of the Northern Governors’ Forum, rejected the new derivation-based model for Value-Added Tax distribution in the tax reform bills.
They argued that the changes might adversely affect their regions’ financial autonomy.
Three days later, the National Economic Council comprising all 36 state governors asked the President to withdraw the Tax Reforms Bill from the National Assembly for more comprehensive consultations.
However, the President said there would be no need to withdraw the tax reforms bill from the National Assembly.
He insisted that, while the legislative process takes its course, inputs and changes can be made without withdrawing the bill from the NASS.
The controversy has permeated the legislative process. Some senators such as the dormer Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, are calling for the withdrawal of the bills to allow for more extensive consultations.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has also warned that while President Tinubu can deploy his executive powers to pass the tax reform bills, there would be consequences for millions of Nigerians.
Zulum added that the proposed VAT-sharing model will only benefit Lagos and Rivers states.
Nonetheless, the Senate proceeded to pass the bills for a second reading, a move that has been met with harsh criticism.
In its statement on Monday, the Presidency said most reactions from political leaders and commentators “are not grounded in facts, reality, or sufficient knowledge of the bills.”
It said the tax bills will not enrich Lagos or Rivers states at the expense of northern states.
Corroborating the Presidency’s stance, the Information Minister said, “The fiscal reforms will not impoverish any State or region of the country, neither will they lead to the scrapping or weakening of any federal agencies.”
“Similarly, it is important to be aware that there is a lot of misinformation and fake news circulating around the tax bills and the overall reform agenda of the Tinubu Administration.
“I call on all commentators and groups to keep up the spirit of informed engagement, and to strive to be respectful and understanding at all times despite the diversity of opinions. In the spirit of democratic engagement, there should be no room for name-calling, or for the injection of unnecessary ethnic and regional slurs into this important national conversation,” Idris added.
The FG welcomed the nationwide debate on the bills saying “This is the very essence and meaning of democracy.”
It argued that contrary to the popular notions the bills will “bring relief to tens of millions of hardworking Nigerians across the country and empower and position our States and the 774 Local Governments for sustainable growth and development.”
It said the President’s ambitious fiscal reform agenda will devolve more resources to Nigeria’s State and Local Governments, and ultimately to the Nigerian people, in the spirit of harnessing democracy that works for the people.
Idris argued that Nigerians are witnessing the most far-reaching, impactful, and beneficial set of fiscal reforms that Nigeria has seen in decades.
In addition to the four tax bills being debated and deliberated upon, there is also the 2023 Supreme Court ruling on financial autonomy for local governments, which will significantly empower the tier of government that is closest to the Nigerian people.
The FG said these reforms will not only facilitate increased revenues (without imposing additional tax burdens on the people), they will also make it possible for citizens to demand and enjoy greater accountability in the management of public resources at all levels of government.
“President Tinubu and the administration will continue to champion policies that close the loopholes and gaps through which Nigeria’s valuable public resources have been frittered away for decades.
On top of this necessary foundation, the resources being conserved and realised from these reforms will be invested in critical infrastructure (healthcare, education, transportation, digital technology, etc) and in social investments that will benefit all Nigerians and ensure that no one is left behind.
“This is the promise and the reality of the Renewed Hope agenda,” the statement read.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have nabbed Mustapha Abdullahi, the director-general of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, over alleged money laundering offences involving more than N500 billion.
TheCable understands that Abdullahi was arrested in Abuja on Wednesday and is currently being held in the custody of the anti-graft agency for further investigation.
Cable
. We’ll continue to work with local and international partners until illicit drug supply chain is fully broken in Nigeria, Marwa assures
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a large consignment of Canadian Loud, a high-potency strain of cannabis, weighing 4,173.5 kilograms with a street value of Ten Billion Four Hundred and Thirty-Three Million Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N10, 433, 750,000.00) only at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
The successful interdiction of the illicit drug consignment followed painstaking intelligence gathering, sustained surveillance, and trailing of the container, which was transloaded a number of times since it left Toronto, Canada on 28th March, conveyed through rails to Montreal, where it was loaded on board a vessel, Jakarta express voyage, which arrived Tanger Med Port in Morocco on 15th April, discharged and reloaded on another vessel, Osaka voyage, which eventually arrived the Lagos Port on Saturday 9th May 2026.
The over two months of monitoring the shipment by the Marine Intelligence Unit of NDLEA and the Tincan Island Strategic Command of the Agency, working in close collaboration with international partners particularly the United Kingdom Home Office International Operations, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, culminated in the eventual seizure of the consignment on Tuesday 12th May during a joint examination of the container by NDLEA operatives, men of Customs Service and other security agencies.
The development comes barely four days after NDLEA operatives raided a Lekki mansion used as stash house where 4,000 parcels of same psychoactive substance weighing 2,326 kilograms worth over Five Billion Eight Hundred and Fifteen Million Naira (N5,815,000,000.00) were recovered.
The illicit drug consignments from Canada were professionally packed and concealed inside two vehicles: a used Ford Bus and a Mercedes Benz C300 car, stashed within the shipping container. Speaking during the handover of the exhibits by the NCS at the Port in Lagos on Wednesday 13th May, the NDLEA’s Director of Seaports Operations, ACG Ibinabo ArchieAbia said the “achievement once again demonstrates the effectiveness of inter-agency cooperation, international collaboration, and intelligence-driven operations in combating transnational organized crime and illicit drug trafficking.”
Reacting to the development, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers of the Tincan Command and the MIU of the Agency for their vigilance and professional conduct, noting that the volume of recent Loud seizures highlights a coordinated attempt by international drug syndicates to flood the Nigerian market with synthetic strains of cannabis.
“This second massive seizure in less than a week is a clear message to the international syndicates who think they can use our ports as entry points for their soul-destroying trade, that the synergy between NDLEA and Customs Service as well as other security agencies and our international partners like the Canadian Royal Mounted Police, the UK-HOIO and the US DEA is yielding fantastic results. We will not rest until every link in this supply chain is broken and those behind these shipments are brought to justice”, Marwa stated.
A prominent public affairs analyst, Prof. Okey Ikechukwu, has called for the immediate suspension and possible termination of all processes related to the proposed sale of a 40 per cent stake in the Amukpe–Escravos Pipeline, warning that proceeding under the current terms would amount to a “giveaway” of a strategic national asset.
Ikechukwu, Executive Director of the Development Specs Academy, made the remarks during an interview on Tuesday on Arise News, where he questioned the pricing, procedure, and transparency surrounding the transaction.
According to him, Nigeria is not in such financial distress as to justify disposing of a critical infrastructure asset at what he described as a “giveaway price.”
“If that is allowed to happen, it means there is no governance,” he said. “It means that people can exercise arbitrary discretion. It means that processes can be routinely violated.”
His intervention comes amid mounting controversy over the valuation of the pipeline asset. Independent assessments conducted in 2025 reportedly valued the 40 per cent stake at between $544 million and $641 million, more than double the $243 million offer associated with a transaction that collapsed in October 2024.
Ikechukwu argued that any attempt to revive or proceed with the sale on the basis of disputed or outdated valuation benchmarks would undermine due process and public confidence.
“We are not under any desperate need to sell it at a giveaway price, and that’s what appears to be happening here,” he said. “If that is allowed to happen, then it means there is no governance.”
Describing the pipeline as a “performing national asset,” the analyst noted that the facility reportedly maintains operational uptime levels of as high as 95 per cent.
“If you must sell a performing national asset, it must be sold at the right value,” he stated.
To illustrate his concerns, Ikechukwu compared the situation to a failed private land transaction later revived at an outdated price, arguing that such a practice would be unacceptable in any credible commercial environment.
He further warned that proceeding without an updated valuation process could damage investor confidence and weaken perceptions of regulatory integrity.
“But beyond all of that, where will investor confidence be?” he asked. “If you are a lender, how do you feel in this kind of environment? It might even be interpreted as sabotage.”
Beyond the question of pricing, Ikechukwu said the larger issue at stake was institutional credibility and adherence to due process.
“If that is allowed to happen, it means there is no governance,” he reiterated. “It means that people can exercise arbitrary discretion. It means that processes can be routinely violated.”
The development expert consequently called for an immediate halt to all ongoing steps connected to the proposed transaction.
“All processes leading up to the presumed attempt to sell it now should be stopped,” he said. “Quite frankly, terminated. An independent evaluation should take place so that we know the current value of what is on the table and ensure that the country does not lose money in the process.”
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