Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada (SDP, Nasarawa West) has dismissed claims suggesting that President Bola Tinubu was waging a war against the North by introducing Tax Reform Bills.
Wadada made the statement while speaking to journalists in Abuja on Saturday.
He highlighted the numerous positive interventions by the Tinubu administration in the North, including the AKK gas pipeline project, the revocation and re-awarding of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road contract, the Sokoto-Badagry superhighway, and the administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity. According to him, the initiatives contradict the notion that the President was undermining the North through tax reforms.
The lawmaker, who is also the chairman of the Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC), argued that concerns regarding the proposed reforms were unfounded. He emphasised that even if President Tinubu intended to challenge the North, the region possesses the capacity to respond effectively.
Wadada remarked, “No Northerner should fear taxes; we have historically led in community taxes, such as cattle tax. Many citizens have benefited from these contributions. We were paying taxes when others were not, and we are not afraid of tax reforms because we understood that to achieve our goals, adequate resources are necessary.”
While he acknowledged that there were grey areas in the tax reform bills currently before the National Assembly, Wadada insisted that President Tinubu had no hidden agenda against the North. He attributed the backlash against the reforms to a natural resistance to change.
“Anyone who seeks to undermine the North should know that we have the means to fight back. I remain grounded in my understanding of the situation rather than swayed by public sentiment,” he stated. “There are areas needing clarification, and I believe President Tinubu administration does not intend harm to any part of Nigeria. However, introducing something new requires thorough consultation.”
Wadada also dismissed suggestions that the tax reforms might jeopardise the President’s chances for a second term bid. He noted that life is dynamic, and premature judgements about the 2027 elections could be misguided. “What if before 2025 he introduces initiatives that resonate with the North?” he asked.
He quoted the late Comrade Balarabe Musa, a former governor of Kaduna State, saying, “We are living in times of great changes, with old orders crumbling and new systems emerging. Our task is to understand these changes and use them for human progress.”
Wadada stressed that the interventions by the Tinubu administration have the potential to significantly transform the North’s economy.
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