Dogara Appeals to Northern Governors to Back Tax Reform Bills

Former House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara has called on northern governor’s to reconsider their stance on President Bola Tinubu’s proposed tax reform bills. 

Speaking during a Channels Television town hall, Dogara emphasized that the proposed reforms should be seen as an opportunity, not a threat.

Addressing some of the objections raised by northern governors, he addressed the question of leadership, urging the governor’s to put aside regionalism, sectionalism and religion and embrace leadership.

“I will address the question of leadership and my appeal to all of us here, we are all leaders, we should remove the cap of regionalism, the cap of sectionalism, cap of religion, and put on the cap of leadership because that is what will resolve the current problems that we have. I think one of the major objections relates to issue of timing. I’ve had this from leaders that I respect, but in leadership, when you talk about timing, the way I have had them talk about is a tragic misconception of the notion of time itself because there’s nothing like future, there’s nothing like the past.All we have is now. It is what you’re doing now that will become your past. It is what you’re doing now that will affect your future.It was Dr. King who told us that time is neutral. So the question before us as leaders is not to look at what the president is doing, what our leader here, Taiwan’s committee have produced. I don’t even care if it was part of the president’s agenda.All I am bothered with as a leader is, is it the right thing? Then if we come to the conclusion that it is the right thing for us to do, then the time to do it is now, not tomorrow. So I will resolve that issue the way I have resolved it.”

He also spoke to the issue of consultation, stating that bringing governors on board should not be an excuse to delay doing what’s right.

“Secondly, I’ve heard about insufficient consultation. I’ve heard even legislators speaking as if they’re spokesperson for some governor’s forum instead of looking at what is right and profiling solutions. Now, I don’t know, he didn’t address some of these issues, but I believe in the course of our interviews, he will address them, whether there was enough consultation with the governors. But I want to say this, at the state level, how many people do governors consult when they’re I’m not challenging them. As a matter of fact, in some cases, laws, state laws are written from the living rooms of governors. The truth is, we were warned long ago by Shakespeare in his famous work, Pericles, the Prince of Tyre. He said, few are those who like to hear about the sin they love to act. So, should we now stop because governors have not been brought on board, even though it is the right thing to do? Should that be an excuse, really? The answer to my mind is no.”

Mr Dogara urged the northern governors not to condemn the president, stating that this is not the time to label the bill as anti-north, citing the move as a significant one.

Also Read: Northern Lawmakers Express Concerns Over Tax Reform Bills in National Assembly

“I want to talk to my brothers in the north. I don’t think this is the time for us to begin to condemn the president. And to begin to say that on account of these bills, he’s anti-north. Because I want to remind us that the president has done something that is significant. And in my lifetime, if he can pursue this to the end, it would be that there’s no northern leader of my lifetime that has done what the president has done for the north.”

The Northern States Governors Forum has opposed the proposed bills, citing concerns that they may harm the region’s interests. However, the presidency has assured that the bills aim to improve the lives of Nigerians and optimize existing tax frameworks.