• Speaker Abbas Tajudeen

The House of Representatives, under the leadership of the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has released the four tax reform Acts duly signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to Nigerians for public record, verification, and reference.

In a statement on Saturday, Rep. Akintunde Rotimi, Spokesman, House of Representatives, said that Speaker Abbas, in concert with the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, directed the immediate release of the Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the Acts, including the endorsement and assent pages signed by the President, following public concerns and allegations regarding purported alterations and the circulation of unauthorised and misleading versions of the laws.

The statement reads:

” This decisive intervention underscores Speaker Abbas’ long-standing commitment to transparency, legislative integrity, and public confidence in the law-making process.

Indeed, the attention of the House was drawn to the existence of inconsistent versions of the tax laws in circulation after a vigilant Honourable Member identified discrepancies, raised the alarm, and formally reported the matter to the House on a point of privilege.

Acting promptly, the Speaker ordered an internal verification and the immediate public release of the certified Acts to eliminate doubt, restore clarity, and protect the sanctity of the legislative record.

From the initiation of the tax reform process through extensive stakeholder consultations, committee scrutiny, rigorous clause-by-clause consideration, robust plenary debates, and eventual passage, Speaker Abbas has provided firm and steady leadership to ensure that the reforms were evidence-based, inclusive, and aligned with Nigeria’s fiscal realities and development priorities.

Throughout the process, Speaker Abbas consistently emphasised that tax reform must be anchored on clarity, fairness, and strict adherence to constitutional and parliamentary procedure.

The four Acts released are:

• The Nigeria Tax Act, 2025

• The Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025

• The National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025

• The Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025.

These landmark legislations constitute the backbone of Nigeria’s contemporary tax reform architecture, designed to modernise revenue administration, improve compliance, reduce inefficiencies, eliminate duplications, and strengthen fiscal coordination across the federation.

In directing the release of the certified Acts, Speaker Abbas reassured Nigerians that the National Assembly remains an institution of records, guided by clearly defined rules, precedents, archival systems, and verification processes that safeguard the authenticity of every law enacted.

According to him:“The National Assembly is an institution built on records, procedure, and institutional memory. Every Bill, every amendment, and every Act follows a traceable constitutional and parliamentary pathway.

Once a law is passed and assented to, its integrity is preserved through certification and custody by the legislature.

There is no ambiguity about what constitutes the law.”

Speaker Abbas further emphasised that the House would remain vigilant and proactive in defending the integrity of its work, clarifying that the only authentic and authoritative versions of the four tax Acts are those certified and released by the National Assembly.Members of the public, institutions, professionals, and stakeholders are therefore advised to disregard and discountenance any other documents or versions in circulation that are not certified by the National Assembly, as such materials do not form part of the official legislative record.

Consequently, the Clerk to the National Assembly has concluded the process of aligning the Acts – duly passed, assented to, and certified – with the Federal Government Printing Press to ensure accuracy, conformity, and uniformity. Hard copies of the certified tax Acts have also been produced and are being circulated to all Honourable Members and Distinguished Senators, and made available to the public, to ensure institutional clarity, uniform reference, and legislative certainty.

The House affirms that the work of the Ad-Hoc Committee, chaired by Rt. Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara, continues, in line with its mandate, to determine the circumstances surrounding the circulation of unauthorised versions of the tax Acts and to recommend measures that will prevent a recurrence and preserve the authenticity and reliability of parliamentary records.

The House of Representatives, under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, reaffirms its unwavering commitment to constitutionalism, the rule of law, transparency, and accountable governance.

The House will continue to strengthen internal controls, uphold institutional discipline, and protect the integrity of Nigeria’s legislative process in the collective interest of the Nigerian people.