By Gloria Ikibah
The leader of the Northern Caucus in the House of Representatives, Rep. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, has assured Nigerians that lawmakers from the North will prioritize national interest in the consideration of the proposed tax reform bills.
Doguwa who was the Majority Leader in the 9th Assembly stated this during an interview with journalists during a Tax Reform Interaction Organized by the House in Abuja on Monday.
He emphasized that the process will not be rushed and assured Nigerians that the bills will be carefully studied to ensure they serve the best interest of the people and the nation.
He said: “These proposed bills are obviously to do with fiscal federalism as it relates to sharing of resources to federating units and key government institutions. We must, therefore, be careful to study the bills diligently and consider them clause by clause with a view to doing justice to the people and to the bills in the overall interest of the nation.
“We will certainly NOT rush the passage of these bills in order to avoid making hasty legislations or laws that would, in the end, fail to address our practical economic realities as a nation.
“National interest will be the key word. It will be the watchword, and I believe all of us will be guided by national interest. The government itself, I want to believe, has good intentions. So, we will look at those intentions and see how we can educate and enlighten our people. At the end of the day, the law will be for the good of the people.”
The caucus leader commended the House leadership for organizing the interactive session, which he said has helped members to better understand the proposed bills, even as he emphasised the importance of ongoing consultations.
“We must commend the wisdom of the House leadership for coming up with this interactive session to further enlighten and clarify the contents and intentions of the proposed tax reform bills. Building on this good initiative, we will continue to hold further consultations at the levels of state and regional caucuses to create sufficient awareness among our members and other stakeholders.
“If there’s anything, we members can now say this should be a work in progress. This consultation has to be work in progress. We will pick it up from here and go into smaller legislative groups, caucuses, and state-level meetings to ensure people understand the importance of the bills”, Doguwa noted.
Doguwa reaffirmed the commitment of Northern lawmakers to promoting interaction, consultation, and public enlightenment about the tax reform bills.
“We, as members of the Northern Caucus, will build on the initiative of the House leadership, which promotes interaction and consultation, widening the scope of enlightenment for our people,” he stated.