BY COBHAM NSA – The Budget Office of the Federation has thrown its weight behind the integrity of Nigeria’s newly enacted Tax Reform Acts, urging restraint from governance by speculation and unverified claims.
Following allegations of post-passage alterations in the new Acts, the Budget Office cautioned that the sanctity of the law is central to constitutional democracy and not a mere procedural formality.
A statement issued on Wednesday, and signed by Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, said any suggestion that a law could be altered after debate, passage, authentication, and presidential assent without due process would strike at the core of the Republic and undermine citizens’ right to be governed by transparent and stable laws.
It said having taken note of concerns raised by the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives, democratic integrity is also endangered by the careless amplification of unverified claims.
The Office further warned that: “A nation cannot be governed by insinuation or sustained on circulating documents of uncertain origin, adding that public confidence, once shaken by speculation, is often difficult to restore.
While stressing that both government and citizens share a common interest in truth, clarity, and due process, the Budget Office said public finance depends heavily on trust in the legality and clarity of fiscal laws.
This is as it also welcomed the National Assembly’s decision to investigate the allegations, describing institutional inquiry, not conjecture as the appropriate response to claims of illegality.
On public access to the law, the Budget Office agreed that Nigerians and the business community are entitled to clear and authoritative texts of all laws they are required to obey.
However, it clarified that the authenticity of legislation is determined by certified legislative records and official publication processes, not by informal or viral reproductions.
The statement also underscored the importance of separation of powers, warning that claims suggesting Nigeria is being governed by “fake laws,” if not backed by established facts, risk eroding confidence in democratic institutions.
Additionally, the Budget Office said legislative scrutiny should not be dismissed by the executive, even as it noted that oversight is a constitutional duty, not an act of hostility.
The statement further said that from a fiscal perspective, legal certainty is essential for revenue projections, macroeconomic stability, budget credibility, and investor confidence, explaining that while it is not the custodian of legislative records, the uncertainty around operative tax provisions directly affects economic planning.
In order to restore confidence in the law, the Budget Office is proposing a set of measures that include the publication of verified reference texts in a single public repository, orderly access to Certified True Copies (CTC) for stakeholders, clear public explanations where discrepancies are alleged, and strict alignment of all implementing regulations with authenticated legal texts.
On calls to suspend the tax reforms, the Budget Office cautioned against allowing prudence to slide into paralysis, arguing that properly implemented tax reform is necessary to reduce dependence on borrowing and inflationary financing, while easing indirect burdens on vulnerable citizens.
Pleading that governance and reform should not be stalled by unresolved conjecture, the Budget Office said: “Where clarification is required, it must be provided; where correction is required, it must be effected; where investigation is required, it must proceed.”
The Office, which described taxation as a democratic covenant that binds citizens and the state, said compliance depends on transparency and trust, adding that political actors must protect institutions as much as positions.
Insisting that citizens and businesses must always rely on verified sources and resist spreading unauthenticated information, the statement reaffirmed the Office’s commitment to fiscal transparency, institutional integrity, and reforms that not only advance national prosperity but also safeguard citizens’ rights.
