*Says North an asset, not liability
By Tyowase Aondover, in Abuja
The former leader of the Senate, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has declared that the North is not parasitic in nature, particularly when matters of economic survival are concerned.
Speaking in Abuja, Ndume who represents Borno South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, noted that all states, zones and regions in the country need each other to survive no matter how rich.
His words: “The North was, is and will never be a parasite or dependent on any region or even the country. We are assets not liability to Nigeria. Those who think that the current tax reforms is only against Northern interest are naive. As it is the law is against all the low and middle income Nigerians,” he stressed.
The lawmaker who was recently removed as Chief Whip of the Senate on account of his outspokenness on matters adversely affecting the living standards of ordinary Nigerians, called for a demonstration of prudence in governance so that the resources of the country can be properly harnessed to the benefit of the people.
The ranking Senator who insisted that the tax reform bills were coming at the wrong time, said the economic hardship being suffered by Nigerians may get worse.
“I’m still insisting that the Tax Reforms Bills be withdrawn for more consultations and by-in of critical stakeholders like states, local governments and the private sector, ” Ndume said.
He advised that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) should expand its tax net just as he called for greater demonstration of accountability.
“The FIRS should concentrate on expanding the tax net and collecting more. Also, accountability and transparency should be increased,” he stated.
Ndume also called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to beam its searchlight on commercial banks to ensure that banks which declare huge profits every year should pay more taxes.
Ndume had criticised the timing of the bills, arguing that the focus should be on governance reforms before tax reforms.
The bills include a proposal to establish the Joint Revenue Board, the Tax Appeal Tribunal, and the Office of the Tax Ombudsman, all part of President Bola Tinubu’s comprehensive tax reform package.
Ndume, however, outlined his concerns with the bills, citing issues such as the wrong timing, the question of derivation, Value Added Tax, and the lack of consensus or buy-in from Nigerians.
According to him, “Yes, reform. But even with reforms, you have to prioritise, time it correctly, and ensure the buy-in of Nigerians because this is a democracy. It is the government of the people, for the people, and by the people.
“First in Nigeria, what we need to do is reform the government. Our personnel and overhead expenditure for 2024 is about 50 to 60 per cent of the budget itself. We are here in November, and 20 per cent of the budget has not been implemented. But if you check the recurrent expenditure, it has already been exhausted.
“So, that means over 15 to 20 trillion Naira is going into personnel, debt servicing, and recurrent expenditure. We should reform the government, not only the Executive – we need to reform the government holistically,” he added.
