* Tasks government to make full disclosure or terminate agreement
By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised concerns over the recent digital tax agreement between Nigeria and France.
The ADC declared that while it supports efforts to modernise the country’s tax system, the process by which the deal was reached raises serious questions about transparency, national sovereignty, and the protection of Nigerians’ data.
The party said this in a statement on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi in Abuja.
The coalition party called for full public disclosure of the details of the agreement or its immediate termination.
The statement by the party reads: “The ADC has carefully reviewed expert opinions on the recent agreement on digital tax reform and revenue administration signed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), on behalf of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, with the Government of France.
“Quite significantly, we note the overwhelming concern that the agreement potentially endangers Nigeria’s data security and exposes strategic national economic information to foreign exploitation.
“Attempts by the FIRS to explain these concerns away have failed to convince anyone that the agreement was done in the nation’s best interest, especially given the manner in which it was hurriedly and secretly packaged.
“Tax matters are about business, not charity. In entering into this business agreement, the FIRS has told us what Nigeria stands to benefit. However, it has failed to tell us what France stands to benefit from this deal.
“Why did the Federal Government of Nigeria enter into a serious agreement such as this, which potentially infringes on national security and sovereignty, without public disclosure of its full terms, without open engagement with the National Assembly, and without any meaningful effort to carry Nigerians along?
“More fundamentally, we cannot ignore the broader political context of this agreement. Across West Africa, France’s role and influence are being openly questioned.
“Former French colonies are loosening or severing their neo-colonial ties with the country. Yet, under the Bola Tinubu administration, Nigeria appears to have become more Francophone than the French.
“Nigeria’s local content policy was designed to encourage the development of national human capital and to reduce capital flight by promoting domestic industries, especially in the provision of services.
“With the plethora of competent and globally acclaimed national service providers in this sector, why does President Tinubu prefer to promote his French connection rather than local capacities?
“These tax reforms should provide opportunities to strengthen national institutions and build local capacity, not to create new dependencies or hand over strategic control of our economic intelligence to external actors.
“The ADC is therefore calling for the full publication of this agreement, proper briefing of the National Assembly, and an independent assessment of its implications for data security, cybersecurity, and national sovereignty. “The details of this closed-door arrangement must be published for all to see, or be terminated”, the party said.
ENDS
