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House softens stance on Tax Reform Bills

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The House of Representatives has softened its stance on the Tax Reform Bills.

Yesterday, after a three-hour generally positive debate by members, the Bills scaled second reading and passed for public hearing.

This is unlike the situation when the Bills were sent by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Green Chamber in October.

Following opposition from a section of the ruling class, the House exploded in uproar over the Bills, forcing Speaker Abbas Tajudeen to dissolve the House into and Executive session after which all issues on the Bills were kept in ambiance to allow for consultations.

But at the Senate, the Bills were quickly debated and moved to the public hearing stage.

The Bills are the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, the Nigeria Tax Bill, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill.

The bills were consolidated into one at the House for a seamless debate.

The proposed laws were read for the first time on October 8 but debate by the House was put on hold due to disagreement on the content of the bill, especially by Northern leaders and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).

Although the House engaged government officials on the benefits of the bills, Speaker Tajudeen asked members to engage in wide consultations with their constituents to pave the way for a robust debate.

Apart from some observations on certain areas of the bills that appeared not in tandem with some sections of the 1999 Constitution and a few other clauses, members unanimously okayed the bills for a second reading.

Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda said while opposition members supported the spirit behind the bills, some had issues with certain aspects.

Chinda noted that the bills seek to rejig the nation’s tax system for effective revenue generation. He pointed out that for every law, there must be the spirit of the letters.

He said: “We have all agreed that the spirit behind the four bills is good.‘’

But we have issues with some of the letters of the bills. Why we oppose some letters of the bills, we support the spirit and want to assure Nigerians that we will watch those letters and at the appropriate time, we will ensure that the letters are corrected in the interest of Nigerians.

“He advocated a reduction in the Value Added Tax(VAT), saying ‘’It is possible to reduce tax, while efforts should be made to tidy up all areas of conflicts..’’

House Leader Julius Ihonvbere thereafter set the tone for the debate by explaining that the bills were intended to overhaul the country’s outdated tax laws.

Ihonvbere reassured the public that the reforms would benefit ordinary Nigerians without imposing tax burdens on the poor.

While appreciating those who hold opposing views to the bills, he said their views helped strengthen the bills.

The House leader charged members to “be part of history in reforming the tax system to promote revenue growth, increase employment and better the life of ordinary Nigerians.

Minority Whip, Ali Isa commended Speaker Abass for creating an opportunity for members to engage and consult widely on the contentious parts of the bills.

Isa however expressed concern about clause 146 which encourages a gradual increase in VAT from 7.5 percent to 10 percent and later 15 percent.

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JUST IN: Fire Outbreak Reported at Amuwo Odofin Industrial Estate, Lagos

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Emergency responders are currently battling a fire outbreak at the Amuwo Odofin Industrial Estate, located in the Mile 2 area of Lagos State.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the incident and stated that its teams are actively attending to the scene. In an official alert issued earlier today, the service emphasized that the situation is under control.

“We’re assuring the public that we’re currently on top of the situation as the public need not to exercise fear,” the statement read.

The alert was signed by Margaret Adeseye, Controller General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service.

Reports from witnesses and social media indicate a significant blaze, with thick smoke visible in the area and videos showing emergency efforts underway. One account suggested the fire may involve an industrial facility specializing in recycling, though official details on the exact cause, origin, or any potential damage or casualties have not yet been released.

Authorities continue to urge residents and nearby businesses to remain calm while operations proceed to fully contain the incident.

Further updates are expected as the response progresses.

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Olubadan Ladoja tables top three national priorities for Tinubu to defeat

The visit, which took place less than four months after Ladoja’s installation as the 44th Olubadan, was the monarch’s first official meeting with the president since he ascended the throne.

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Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, and President Bola Tinubu / State House Photo

The traditional ruler of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, has expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, but warned that insecurity remains Nigeria’s most urgent national challenge.

The Olubadan was hosted today by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The visit, which took place less than four months after Ladoja’s installation as the 44th Olubadan, was the monarch’s first official meeting with the president since he ascended the throne.

It also came a day after Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde was received by Tinubu at the State House.

Oba Ladoja told President Tinubu that farmers are increasingly afraid to go to their farms, describing the spread of insecurity as a growing threat to livelihoods and food security, including in southern Nigeria.

While praising the President’s track record and governance style, the Monarch stressed that restoring safety, improving healthcare, and addressing food shortages must remain top priorities.

He, however expresses hope that current reforms will deliver tangible results by 2031.

Before he ascended the Olubadan throne, Ladoja served as the Governor of Oyo State between May 2003 and January 2006 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Oba Ladoja became Olubadan in September 2025 following the death of his predecessor, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who died in July after a short reign.

His emergence followed Ibadan’s traditional succession arrangement, which rotates the stool between the civil (Egbe Agba) and military (Balogun) lines. Olakulehin hailed from the Balogun line, making Ladoja’s succession from the civil line consistent with established custom.

Before he became the Olubadan, Ladoja occupied the position of Otun Olubadan, a role he assumed in August 2024 and which placed him next in line to the throne.

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Reps minority caucus confirms authentic version of tax laws passed by NASS were altered

This is a clear case of the Executive undermining legislative powers by illegally altering an already passed law to drag more taxpayers into the net,” the report read.

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The House of Representatives Minority Caucus said that its investigation has confirmed that the tax federal government’s tax reform laws were altered after they had been passed by the National Assembly.

“This is a clear case of the Executive undermining legislative powers by illegally altering an already passed law to drag more taxpayers into the net,” the Cacus said, warning that the actions amount to a direct assault on the constitutional authority of the National Assembly and a threat to democratic governance.

In an interim report, released on Friday the Cacus, under the leadership of Kingsley Chinda, said that it set up a 7-man Fact-finding Committee on January 2nd “to get to the root of the scandal” after public outrage over allegations of discrepancies in the passed and gazetted tax.

The ad-hoc committee set up by the caucus is independent of the committee set up by the House leadership.

It is led by Afam Victor Ogene. Other members of the committee include Aliyu Garu – Bauchi, Stanley Adedeji – Oyo, Ibe Osonwa – Abia, Hon. Marie Ebikake – Bayelsa, MB Shehu Fagge – Kano and Gaza Gbefwi Jonathan – Nasarawa.

The Cacus said that as part of its investigations, it’s Ad-hoc committee compared the Certified True Copies of the Acts released officially by the House of Representatives as directed by the Speaker, with the already gazetted version already in circulation before the alarm was raised by the House, and confirmed that there were some alterations as alleged by Dasuki on the floor of the House of Representatives, especially in the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025;

The Cacus also confirmed that there were three different versions of the documents in circulation, particularly the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025.

According to the interim report by the caucus, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA), 2025, has a number of discrepancies from the version passed by the National Assembly and the version earlier published in the official gazette. These discrepancies are obvious, going by the released Certified True Copies (CTCs) by the House referenced earlier.

..i. Section 29(1): On Reporting Thresholds: While the NASS Certified version provided for a tax compliance reporting threshold of N50 million for individuals and N100 million for companies, the gazetted version lowered the reporting thresholds for individuals to (N25 million from N50 million) and (N100 million from N250 million) for companies.

ii. Section 41: Introducing new subsections (8) and (9) prescribing a mandatory 20% Deposit for Appeals:The gazetted version introduced new subsections 41(8) and 41(9), which required taxpayers to deposit 20% of the disputed tax amount as a condition for appealing Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT) decisions to the High Court.

These sections were not in the authentic version passed by NASS.


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