An economic expert at Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Kabiru Isah Dandago, has said the Federal Government can go ahead with the implementation of the newly signed tax reform laws despite objections raised by some members of the House of Representatives.
Dandago maintained that the laws remain valid, stressing that protests by lawmakers after the passage and signing of the bills do not invalidate them.
“Despite their protest after the fact, the tax laws still stand,” the expert said in an interview with the Daily Post.
Naijaonpoint reports that his remarks come amid growing controversy surrounding the implementation of the new tax laws.
The dispute followed allegations by a member of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki, who claimed there were discrepancies between the versions of the tax bills passed by the National Assembly and the laws later gazetted and released to the public.
Dasuki had argued that the gazetted laws did not reflect what lawmakers debated and approved on the floor of the National Assembly.
‘No Proof of Harmful Clauses Yet’
Reacting to the claims, Dandago said concerns would only be justified if any provision of the laws is proven to have a negative impact on the livelihood of Nigerians.
“It remains unclear what these discrepancies are. Where the issue lies is if there is some clause inserted in the law that will affect the livelihood of the masses negatively, but so far, nothing has been brought forth as such,” he said.
The professor added that if members of the House of Representatives are convinced that there are serious issues with the tax laws, they should present concrete facts to back their claims and trigger a review.
“If the Representatives are serious, then they should get their facts ready so that a review can be done,” he stated.
Naijaonpoint reports that the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives had earlier called on the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the tax laws, citing alleged alterations to the versions passed by the National Assembly.
The call came after comments by the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, who insisted that the January 1, 2026, implementation date for the Nigerian Tax Act and the Nigerian Tax Administration Act remains unchanged.