Northern Elders Demand Immediate Suspension Of Tax Reform Bills

…Says, it fails to meet key principles of reforms

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF), has demanded the immediate suspension of the proposed Tax Reform Bills submitted to the National Assembly by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The NEF particularly criticised the Federal Government for failure to engage critical stakeholders and experts before putting the bills together and therefore demanded for an extensive dialogue with stakeholders.

These were contained in a statement by Al-Amin Daggash, Chairman of the Management Board Chairman of the NEF, in which the Forum outlined the potential adverse effects of the reforms on Northern Nigeria and the country as a whole.

The NEF explained that it was necessary to emphasise that Nigerians in general, and Northerners in particular, are not opposed to good and meaningful reforms initiated by authorities at the federal, state, or local government levels, stressing however, that based on global best practices, successful reforms are anchored on certain key principles of the public policy-making process, which include, but are not limited to the following;

“Extensive pre-reform engagements with experts and critical stakeholders to secure their buy-in.

“Establishing a well-defined media and communication strategy to clearly articulate the full scope of the reforms and ensure public awareness and enlightenment on a nationwide scale.

“Designing a robust, transparent, and inclusive implementation mechanism.

“Proactively implementing a well-sequenced process to ensure the reforms achieve the desired and anticipated outcomes for society,” the Forum noted.

The NEF pointedly said that the proposed Tax Reform Bills by the Federal Government outrightly breach key principles of reform and public policy-making, which are globally recognised as best practices.