Nigeria’s former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has stressed the need for transparency and objectivity in the ongoing conversations around the Tax Reform Bills.
Atiku in a statement said Nigerians deserved a fiscal system that promotes justice, fairness, and equity.
Nigerians, the Wazirin Adamawa said “are loud and clear in their quest for a fiscal system that promote but not exacerbate the uneven development of the federating units.”
He noted further that such a move was capable of enhancing the status of a few states while unduly penalising others.
Atiku said this Sunday in a statement signed by him and made available to newsmen in Abuja.
He cautioned further, saying the public hearing process must facilitate open and inclusive participation by all stakeholders, including Civil Society Organisations, traditional institutions, politicians, public officials, and subject matter experts.
“I have followed the intense public discourse on the Tax Reform Bills with keen interest.
“Nigerians are united in their call for a fiscal system that promotes justice, fairness, and equity. They are loud and clear that the fiscal system we seek to promote must not exacerbate the uneven development of the federating units by enhancing the status of a few states while unduly penalising others.
“I call for objectivity and transparency in the conduct of the public hearing being organised by our representatives in the National Assembly. As a concerned stakeholder, I firmly believe that transparency and objectivity are essential for promoting accountability, good governance, and public trust in policy-making.
“The public hearing process must facilitate open and inclusive participation by all stakeholders, including Civil Society Organizations, traditional institutions, politicians, public officials, and subject matter experts.
“In this wise, I call on the NASS to revisit and make public the resolutions of the National Economic Council, a key stakeholder and an important organ of the state with the constitutional power to advise the President concerning the economic affairs of the Federation.
“The NASS must be appropriately guided and ensure that in the final analysis, the contents of the Bills align with the interests of the vast majority of Nigerians,” the statement said.
