Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano, has asked the national assembly to reject any attempts to “cheat” the north with the proposed tax reform bills.
Kwankwaso spoke on Sunday at the convocation ceremony of
Skyline University held at the Ammani Centre, Nassarawa GRA, Kano state.
Kwankwaso alleged that Lagos is “making a lot of efforts” to
colonise the north.
The former governor accused the president, who hails from
Lagos, of interfering in the emirship tussle in Kano.
“The Emir has just been installed at this difficult time in
our country, especially in this part of the country, northern Nigeria,” he
said.
“Today, we can see very clearly that there is a lot of
effort from the Lagos axis to colonise this part of the country.
“Today, Lagos wouldn’t allow us to choose our Emir. Lagos
has to come to the centre of Kano to put their own Emir.
“Today, we are aware that the Lagos young men are working so
hard to impose and take away our taxes from Kano and this part of the country
to Lagos.”
The Kano emirship is a subject of litigation.
Muhammadu Sanusi was reinstated as the Emir of Kano in May.
However, Aminu Bayero, who was removed to make way for
Sanusi, has refused to step aside.
TAX REFORM BILLS
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) presidential candidate
in the 2023 elections said many factory owners have been “forced” to relocate
their headquarters to Lagos to make the south-west state claim “all the taxes”.
“We have seen the effort of some people to make the poor
poorer and the rich richer. And I believe this is very dangerous for us,”
Kwankwaso said.
“This part of the country today is suffering from a serious
economic crunch, insecurity, poverty, hunger, and diseases.
“I believe this is not good for the cordial existence of our
country. At this moment, I would like to call on all our national assembly
members to keep their eyes open so that they don’t do anything that will cheat
the people of northern Nigeria, especially here in Kano.
“We are witnesses to what happened during the first term of
Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2003, where our members of the national assembly
were bribed into collecting a huge sum of money to support onshore/offshore in
the country.
“That law put a huge blow on our economy in northern Nigeria
and all other states.”
BACKGROUND
On October 3, Tinubu asked the national assembly to consider
and pass four tax reform bills.
The proposed legislations, which have sparked intense
debate, include the Nigeria tax bill, the tax administration bill, and the
joint revenue board establishment bill.
The president also asked the parliament to repeal the law
establishing the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and replace it with the
Nigeria Revenue Service.
On October 28, the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF)
opposed the bills, arguing that the proposed legislation would harm the
region’s interests.
The governors asked the national assembly to reject the
bills, demanding equitable and fair implementation of national policies and
programmes across all regions.
The national economic council (NEC) also asked Tinubu to
withdraw the bills to give room for consultations.
On November 1, Tinubu said the bills would not be withdrawn
from the national assembly, noting that the proposed laws are designed to
improve the lives of Nigerians and optimise existing tax frameworks.
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