The Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) has endorsed the stand taken by the Northern States Governors’ Forum in conjunction with the Northern Nigeria Council of Traditional Rulers, about the proposed Tax Reform Bill by President Bola Tinubu.

The 19 state governors in the Northern region had aired their strong displeasure on the recent Tax Reform Bill the Federal Government submitted to the National Assembly for approval.

The governors particularly rejected the proposed shift to a Derivation-based Model for Value Added Tax distribution.

They claimed that the proposed model would be at the disadvantage of the northern states and other less industrial regions.

The governors, under the auspices of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, voiced their strong opposition in a communique issued after a strategic meeting in Kaduna in October.

However, NEF Board of Trustees during its Second Bi-Annual Meeting on Wednesday November 20th, 2024 at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Center, Abuja, reaffirmed the NEF’s strong opposition to this pernicious policy.

According to a statement, NEF maintained, that, in its present form, the Tax Reform Bill is conceived in bad faith, poorly packaged and it is a palpable threat to their unity and national cohesion.

The forum in a communique signed by Professor Ango Abdullahi, its Convener and released on Saturday, condemned the conspicuous loss of voice on the burning issue by the elected lawmakers in the National Assembly from the region.

The communique partly reads; “The meeting unanimously endorsed the patriotic stand taken on the raging national debate about the Tax Reform Bill by the Northern States Governors’ Forum in conjunction with the Northern Nigeria Council of Traditional Rulers, just as it reaffirmed the NEF’s strong opposition to this pernicious policy.

“In addition, the meeting seriously maintained, that, in its present form, the Tax Reform Bill is conceived in bad faith, poorly packaged and it is a palpable threat to our unity and national cohesion. The Meeting proceeded by drawing attention to the brazen cavalier way and suspicious manner in which the Tax Reform Bill was imposed on the nation, without allowing the inputs of critical stakeholders, even as it kept members of the National Economic Council in the dark, thus; confirming the sinister intentions of those promoting this outrageous Bill.

“The Board-in-session, condemned in very strong terms, the conspicuous loss of voice on this burning issue by the overwhelming number of elected politicians in the National Assembly from the region, and fiercely warned, that indeed, the days are fast gone, when such conspiratorial connivance against the vital and strategic interest of the region, either by those within or outside the region, would be condoned or even tolerated.”

The Senate leadership, under Godswill Akpabio, appears to have snubbed the family of the late senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Ifeanyi Ubah, as top sources confirmed the alleged abnormalities from the Upper Chamber to the deceased’s family.

It was gathered that the Senate leadership failed to set up a committee to liase with the family or the national burial committee.

Sources disclosed further that the Senate leadership never contacted the burial committee or the family to make input in the preparation of their late colleague’s burial.

It was reported that Ubah who represented the Anambra South Senatorial District at the National Assembly was laid to rest on Friday in his hometown, Otolo Nnewi in Anambra State.

Ubah who was re-elected into the 10th Senate under the Young Progressives Party in 2023 but defected to the All Progressives Congress, died in London on July 27.

Dignitaries at the event were; the Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi; Senator Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia North; former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Senator Victor Umeh of the Anambra Central district.

Speaking, one of the sources revealed that only two of the nine Senators that attended the burial are from outside the South-East region.

The source said, “Despite the eye service and pretences exhibited by the Senate President on Tuesday, 19th Nov during the Senate valedictory session for the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, the leadership of the Senate abandoned the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, their colleague who died as a serving Senator, despite being a member of their party, the ruling APC.

“The Senate leadership failed to set up committee to liase with the family or the National burial committee. The Senate leadership never contacted the burial committee or the family to make input in the preparation of their fallen colleague.

“They did not contribute a kobo to the committee throughout the preparation for the burial and the burial proper. Also, the Senate leadership never sent any delegation to Nnewi on 22nd November 2024 to mourn their departed colleague that died in active service.”

Speaking further, another source corroborated, “Senator Osita Ngwu, the Senate Minority Whip that attended the burial was because of his personal relationship with the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah and also the fact that Senator Osita Ngwu’s wife is from same village (Otolo-Nnewi) with Senator Ubah.

“Total of 9 Senators out of 109 Senators attended the burial namely Senator Abaribe Enyinnaya, Senator Osita Ngwu(Inlaw to Senator Ubah), Senator Izunaso, Senator Okey Ezea, Senator Victor Umeh, Senator Benson Agadaga, Senator Tony Nwoye, Senator Pam from Plateau and Senator Kelvin Chukwu.

“It is worthy of note that 7 Senators out of the 9 Senators that attended the burial are from the South East; only 2 Senators outside South East attended namely Senator Pam from Plateau and Senator Agadaga from Bayelsa.”

“No single Senator from Yoruba extraction, North West and also North East attended the burial, while South South and North Central had only 1 Senator each,” another Senate source said.

“In the Christian parlance, the highest respect someone can pay a departed friend is to pay him last respect by attending the burial especially the burial mass/church service.

“What the Leadership of the Senate did to Senator Ifeanyi Ubah at death who they were dinning and enjoying with when he was alive leaves much to be desired and has exposed them as chamelonic fair weather friends.”

Another source close to the family added, “They did not contribute any kobo for his burial arrangements. They did not talk to or liaise with the burial committee for arrangements or preparations.”

“During the Mass, no senator spoke in the church or on behalf of the Nigerian Senate as tradition demands.”

“The Senate leadership discouraged senators from attending the burial citing nonexistent security concerns. Also, the wife of the Senate President who leads the Senators Wives Forum never sent any delegation to Nnewi or condole with Mrs Uche Ubah,” the source added.

It was reported that Senator Ubah, an All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, died in a hotel in London, the United Kingdom in July.

The Senators had held a valedictory session on Tuesday in honour of the late senator.

Attempts to get the reactions of the Senate were not successful as of the time of filing this report.

A land dispute in Kano State has taken a dramatic turn as Garba Kwankwaso, younger brother of former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, has dragged incumbent Governor Abba Yusuf to court.

According to court documents, other respondents include the state commissioner for Land and Physical Planning as 2nd defendant; Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority, KNUPDA as 3rd defendant; the Attorney General of Kano State as 4th defendants and Unknown Persons as 5th defendants.

The lawsuit seeks an interlocutory injunction to prevent the governor and other defendants from taking any action that could harm their interests in the disputed land.

The land in question, located in Kwankwasiyya City, was initially allocated to WAECO Nigeria Limited during Rabiu Kwankwaso’s administration.

However, his successor, Abdullahi Ganduje, revoked the allocation after a 2017 investigation by the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission revealed that WAECO was not a legal entity at the time of the allocation.

The Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission had revealed that the actual company behind the “WAECO” acronym was “Water and Agricultural Engineering Company Limited”, in which the former governor and his brother were alleged to be directors.

After the revocation, Mr Ganduje relocated Mallam Kato Square to a portion of the land and returned the remaining hectares to the original owners, including the famous Dantata family.

According to sources, the incumbent governor of the state, Abba Yusuf, however resisted pressure to revoke the land, measuring over 100 hectares, and return it to WAECO NIGERIA LIMITED.

Following the governor’s alleged refusal, Garba Kwankwaso then filed an application at a Kano High Court, pursuant to Order 38 Rule 4,(1), Order 39 Rule 1 (2), Order 45 Rule 14 of The Kano State High Court Rules, 2014, praying for the Following orders:

“1. AN ORDER OF INTERLOCUTORY INJUNCTION restraining the defendants/respondents either by themselves, their agents, privies, servants, representatives and/or contractors or whosoever acting on their behalf or instructions from entering upon, demarcating, beaconing, partitioning, building, allocating any part or doing any act adverse to the interest of the Plaintiffs/Applicants on the plaintiffs/Applicants’ piece of land lying and situate along Western By-Pass at Kwankwasiyya 11, Kano, Kano State particularly described in Survey Plan No. TP/KNUPDA/333 delineated red and marked as WAECO NIGERIA LIMITED covered by Certificate of Occupancy No. LKN/COM/2013/84 (hereinafter called “The Subject (Property”) pending the determination of the Substantive suit filed by the Plaintiffs/Applicants.

“2. And such other order(s) as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of this case.”

The application is supported by a nine-paragraph affidavit deposed to by one Faith Job, a litigation secretary in law firm of P.A. Attabor & Co., counsel to the Kwankwasos.

Granting the order on November 13, Justice Usman Na’abba adjourned the case till November 27 for hearing of the application of the interlocutory injunction.