‘New Tax Laws Passed By NASS Not Same With Gazetted Versions’, Lawmaker Dasuki Raises Alarm

A mild drama played out on the floor of the House of Representatives during plenary on Wednesday as the member representing Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency of Sokoto State, Hon. Abdulsammad Dasuki, raised a point of order bothering on privilege, alleging that the gazetted versions of the Nigeria’s recently passed tax reform laws differed significantly from what was approved by the National Assembly.

Citing a breach of privilege, Dasuki told the House that he personally reviewed the gazetted copies of the tax laws, the official votes and proceedings of both chambers of the National Assembly, and the harmonised version passed by the legislature, only to find discrepancies.

“Mr. Speaker, Honourable colleagues, we passed the tax laws on this floor,” Dasuki began. “I took my time in the last three days to look at the gazetted copy, the votes and proceedings of the House of Representatives, and even the harmonised version from the Senate. What I passed on this floor is not what is gazetted.”

The lawmaker said he went as far as purchasing the official gazette from the Ministry of Information to verify its contents.

“Mr. Speaker, Honourable colleagues, I was here. I gave my vote and it was counted. But I am seeing something completely different,” he said. “I personally went to buy the gazetted copies at the Ministry of Information. What is being sold to Nigerians is not what was passed by the National Assembly.”

Describing the situation as a breach of the constitution and legislative process, Dasuki appealed to the Speaker to direct an immediate review of the documents by the House Committee of the Whole.

“On this privilege, I will call on Mr. Speaker to graciously look at what was harmonised, what is in the gazetted copy, and what was passed in the House and the Senate,” he said. “You will find out that what is before Nigerians is not what we passed. This is a breach of our laws, and it should not be taken lightly by this Honourable House.”

Dasuki urged that all relevant documents be brought before the Committee of the Whole for scrutiny, so lawmakers can “see what is in the gazette and what they actually passed on the floor.”

Responding briefly, the Speaker assured the lawmaker that his concerns would be addressed in accordance with House procedures.

The tax reform bills, a key component of the government’s broader fiscal policy adjustment agenda, were passed by the House of Representatives in March and by the Senate in May. President Bola Tinubu subsequently signed them into law in June.

The proposed reforms initially met stiff resistance from northern governors, who argued that the measures could adversely affect the region’s economic interests. They urged the National Assembly to reject the bills and called for a fair and balanced implementation framework across all regions.

However, following a series of consultations and revisions, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) eventually endorsed the tax proposals after reaching a consensus on an “equitable” Value Added Tax (VAT) sharing formula among the states.