The House of Representatives Committee investigating alleged alterations in Nigeria’s gazetted tax legislation has vowed to expedite its assignment and submit findings to the House without delay.
Chairman of the investigative panel, Muktar Betara, made the commitment on Wednesday, a day after the seven-member committee held its inaugural session in Abuja.
The committee was constituted following the adoption of a matter of privilege raised by Sokoto State lawmaker, Abdussamad Dasuki, who had flagged what he termed disturbing discrepancies between tax laws passed by the National Assembly and versions subsequently gazetted for public circulation.
Dasuki alleged that certain provisions in the gazetted copies deviated significantly from what legislators approved, insisting that such alterations, if proven, would constitute a grave breach of legislative protocol and the rule of law.
Addressing journalists through a statement released by the committee’s media unit, Betara emphasised the panel’s determination to restore legislative credibility and public trust.
“The committee has resolved to conclude its assignment and submit its report to the House within the shortest possible time. At the meeting, members resolved to conclude the investigation and report back to the House within the shortest time for legislative integrity, due process, and public confidence,” the statement quoted Betara as saying.
The chairman further assured that the investigation would be conducted with utmost transparency, with findings and recommendations to be presented to the House immediately upon completion.
The probe has intensified public and institutional scrutiny of Nigeria’s tax statutes, particularly those amended through recent Finance Acts, which have been deployed over the years to revise multiple tax legislations including the Companies Income Tax Act, Value Added Tax Act, and Customs and Excise Tariff laws.
Lawmakers have expressed concern that the alleged post-passage alterations threaten the integrity of the legislative process, cast doubt on the authenticity of laws being enforced by executive agencies, and could have far-reaching legal and financial implications for taxpayers relying on officially gazetted statutes.
The House has maintained that only laws duly passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the President possess legal force, warning that any unauthorised post-passage modifications would subvert constitutional governance.
The committee is expected to determine whether discrepancies exist, establish their origin, identify those responsible, and recommend safeguards to preserve the sanctity of future legislative enactments.
Ndume urges Tinubu to halt January implementation
Meanwhile, former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend the implementation of the contentious Tax Reform Acts scheduled to commence in January, pending the resolution of the controversy surrounding their passage.
Ndume issued the appeal in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, against the backdrop of mounting protests by opposition politicians, civil society organisations, and the Nigerian Bar Association, all demanding a halt to the laws’ enforcement.
The Borno South Senator urged the President to establish an ad hoc committee to verify the authenticity of the laws and investigate the alleged alterations, warning that proceeding with implementation amid unresolved allegations would erode legitimacy and undermine public confidence.
He said, “With the controversy surrounding it, the President should constitute a team to verify the veracity of the claim and act accordingly. As a responsive leader that he has always been, he should look into it to find out whether the claim of alterations was genuine so that he will do the needful to bring the controversy to rest.
“If not, the controversy will continue. That is to say, the tax law will not be implemented, because you can’t build on nothing. So, Mr. President should suspend the implementation until the issues are resolved because so many civil society organisations, the Arewa Community, the Nigerian Bar Association, are saying that he should withdraw the Tax Law and investigate the allegation of forgery. Therefore, Mr. President should get to the root of the allegation of forgery. The small committee that will be set up should look into it while the House of Representatives does its own.”
NBA raises alarm over legislative integrity
On Tuesday, NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), warned that the controversies surrounding the tax laws pose a serious threat to the integrity and credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process, noting that the issues strike at the heart of constitutional governance.
Osigwe called for an open and transparent investigation to restore public confidence in the nation’s lawmaking process.
The controversy gained momentum last week when Dasuki alleged that the Federal Government’s gazetted version of the tax laws differed materially from the final copy transmitted to the President for assent after passage by the National Assembly.