By Okeke Eunice
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has addressed his stance on the contentious tax reform bills, emphasizing that he is not opposed to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
However, Zulum maintained that if the four tax bills currently under review in the House of Representatives are enacted, only one state, Lagos, will be the main beneficiary out of the 36 states.
The governor made these comments during his appearance on the Sunday edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He stated, “I am a dedicated member of the APC. If you were to name two governors who have supported Tinubu from 2019 to 2023, I would be among them. I was the first governor to publicly advocate that power should shift to the South.”
“Sadly, the President was told by many that the North is opposed to him, despite the fact that 60.2 percent of his votes came from the North.
There are many misunderstandings surrounding this tax issue. During the NEC meeting, we recommended that the Federal Government pause and engage in more consultations with stakeholders. That was our position.
However, this message has since been misinterpreted. I want to emphasize that consultation is vital to democracy, and in a democratic system, we are simply asking for the right to be consulted. That is all that has transpired.
In recent weeks, the controversial bills have created tension between the 36 state governors and the Federal Government, with the governors calling for the bills to be withdrawn to allow for further discussions.”
Zulum, however, urged his fellow governors and Northern leaders to oppose the bills, arguing that their implementation would harm the region’s economy.
Likewise, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for transparency and fairness in the ongoing review of the tax reform bills.
Zulum, however, clarified that the request to temporarily suspend the bills was not driven by any ill will toward the president.
He pointed out that after reviewing the situation, it was clear that the rush to pass the tax bills was unnecessary, as they would only benefit Lagos, Nigeria’s former federal capital.
He explained, “I am not an economist, but based on our calculations, only Lagos will benefit from this arrangement. We’ve also had multiple consultations with the FIRS and met with Lagos State’s tax team. They informed me that they would incur losses if these bills were passed, saying, ‘We’ve done our research and concluded that we will lose.’
“Then, why the rush? This will negatively affect not only Northern Nigeria but also the Southeast, South-South, and even the Southwest. Only Lagos stands to gain. All we are asking for is more time. Why rush? Let us pause and engage in deeper consultations because we are a democracy.
“We need to thoroughly examine the details of these bills before they become law. This is our main concern. Yet, some have claimed that I and the other governors are against the president. This is a democratic system. People want us to operate in a military-like manner. Most of the revenue from these bills will go to Lagos. We need more time.”