The Northern Elders’ From (NEF) has rejected the Tax Reform
Bill, describing it as “conceived in bad faith”, and a threat to national
cohesion.
The group in a communique after its Saturday’s Board of
Trustees meeting, issued by its Convener, Professor Ango Abdullahi, lamented
the manner of its implementation, believing that the key stakeholders,
including members of the National Economic Council, were sidelined during the
process.
NEF warned against dubious policies that could further
marginalise the North’s resource potential.
It lauded the Northern States Governors’ Forum and the
Northern Nigeria Council of Traditional Rulers for opposing the bill,
describing their stance as “patriotic” and urged the Northern politicians in
the National Assembly to speak out against it.
The meeting maintained that in its present form, the Tax
Reform Bill is conceived in bad faith, poorly packaged and “a palpable threat
to our unity and national cohesion”.
According to the communique, “The meeting proceeded by
drawing attention to the brazen cavalier way and suspicious manner in which the
Tax Reform Bill was imposed on the nation, without allowing the in-puts of critical
stakeholders, even as it kept members of the National Economic Council in the
dark, thus; confirming the sinister intentions of those promoting this
outrageous Bill.”
The Board-in-session, according to the communique, condemned
in very strong terms, the conspicuous loss of voice on the burning issue by the
overwhelming number of elected politicians in the National Assembly from the
region.
It warned that the days are fast gone when such
conspiratorial connivance against the vital and strategic interest of the
region, either by those within or outside the region, would be condoned.
The forum appealed to Northerners to remain vigilant in
defending their rights, particularly during elections, and warned against
falling victim to manipulation by unscrupulous leaders with questionable
records.
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