From Muhammad Ahmad Saka, in Bauchi
A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has said that he supports President Tinubu’s tax reform bills not because they are perfect but because it is the right thing to do.
A statement by Dogara’s Media aide, Turaki Hassan Adamu which was distributed to newsmen in Bauchi over the weekend said that Dogara spoke at the 14 convocation of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo state as the Chancellor of the University.
He said “However, I must concede the fact that those opposed to it have the right to do so but I do not share their jaundiced nay tenuous and puerile position that because they disagree with some aspects of the reforms, then the reforms must be withdrawn or killed, but leaders who are dedicated to reforms and progress don’t make such poor judgment calls, at all.
“What is acceptable, to my mind, is that all those opposed to the reforms should clearly spell out what they are disagreeing with and make better propositions than that of the President for us to compare and contrast in order to make informed choices. Even laws are subject to amendment when we discover there are mischiefs embedded in them that must be cured, much less proposals that have not been passed into law”.
Former speaker said “for me, I did say because so many families are hurting, I do not subscribe to hiking any form of taxes and that the issue of derivation should be clearly spelt out in a manner that would leave no room for prevarication. I have my proposal in that regard and have no hesitation to stand my ground on any forum.”
Dogara said “Addressing Nigeria’s economic challenges requires bold, decisive, and coordinated actions across multiple fronts.achieving this vision will demand sacrifices, accountability, and collective resolve from all Nigerians. Our youths must be at the center of this transformation. Through education, innovation, and a shared commitment to excellence, we can build a Nigeria that fulfills the aspirations of its people”.
He said decades of poor leadership, systemic corruption and diversion of local government funds are some of the major factors that plunged Nigeria into the present economic crisis.
The former Speaker said to those who despair and have been wondering about how Nigeria got into the present unmitigated disaster, that “this is arrived at by decades of weak, wasteful and visionless leadership at all levels of our Government.”
Dogara said Nigerians are living in a terrible democracy and acknowledged that over two decades of unbroken democracy has not resulted in adequate security of lives and properties of our citizens, quality infrastructure, decent employment, access to qualitative education, health, shelter, food and water nor afforded the generality of our people adequate standard of living which are the economic and social rights that enable people to live with dignity and participate fully in society.
He said, “There is no hiding place for us any more because Nigeria is no longer the same. Structural injustices, mass illiteracy, mass poverty, mass unemployment and underemployment have all combined to pull out those we have pushed to the fringes of society to our streets and villages with heavy tolls on Nigerian lives and devastations at all levels. The numbers are staggering: with over 33% unemployment rate, assuming the numbers are not deliberately understated, and nearly 60% youth unemployment, our young people face an uncertain future.”
“We now have a critical mass of highly educated Nigerian youths who are questioning everything including questioning the questions themselves. It is obvious that the frustration we are feeding them has reached a tipping point whereby even the illiterates won’t take it anymore, much less the educated youths who have freed themselves from fictional constraints and are asking questions like never before.”
