Bauch Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, has again taken a swipe at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the ongoing controversy following the introduction of the Tax Reform Bills, insisting that the reforms are anti-North.
Bala Mohammed who was speaking as a guest on Channels TV’s programme “2024 in Review,” expressed dismay that the President and presidency are not accommodating of criticisms over the tax reforms.
The Governor emphasised that the President and the Presidency need to be opened to constructive criticisms and accept such to see possible reasons for adjusting policies.
He said; “We urged him to accommodate more collaboration, he said no, he would go on, some of the issues… even NEC and some of the Ministers were not aware that this bill was going to the National Assembly. I think we are not in a military regime; even the military accommodates…even those with military background accommodated people like the President who was a Governor, and he was able to challenge them rightly at the Federal government, and heaven didn’t fall.”
The Bauchi Governor noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu himself had been a strong advocate for criticisms and reforms during his tenure as Governor of Lagos during the administration of the then President Olusegun Obasanjo and his role in the NADECO where he challenged the central government.
The Governor expressed his disappointment with the Presidency’s response to his criticism of the Tax Reform Bills, stating, “I have no regrets for speaking out against parts of the bill, which I believe are not well-received by many Nigerians and states with no derivative earnings.”
Bala Mohammed urged President Tinubu to accommodate more collaboration and listen to the concerns of Nigerians.
“President Bola Tinubu had challenged the Federal Government during his time as Governor of Lagos and as a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO).”
Bala Mohammed further expressed his surprise that the Presidency would view his criticisms as an affront or insult, rather than a genuine intervention.
When asked about the potential benefits of the Tax Reform Bill, Bala Mohammed acknowledged that it could help states maximize their natural resources. However, he emphasized the need for wider consultation and the removal of contentious areas in the bill.
He retorted, “Should we die before we sit up? We need to discuss. Yes, it will help us to sit up. Even during the President Muhammadu Buhari regime, we were able to raise our IGR.”
He clarified that he is not against the reform itself, but rather how it is being implemented and urged President Bola Tinubu to implement his policies using persuasion rather than force.
“Every reform should promote good governance, but not at the detriment of the majority of federating states.
“Reform is the manifestation of a need to engender good governance but should not be implemented at the detriment of the majority of federating states. That is what we are saying. It is not that we will deprive him of his rights as the President of Nigeria and somebody who has done so well as Governor of Lagos state.
“We have high hopes on him, but we are disappointed that he is not even accommodating, he doesn’t listen, and he believes that whatever he wants to do, he has the right to do it.”
Bala Mohammed reiterated his commitment to working with the federal government but stressed the need for greater collaboration and accommodation.
“But some of us are advising good fate because we know him, he is a democrat, he has really spearheaded a lot of protests against the federal government rightly, especially during the NADECO days, but we are disappointed that even the genuine interventions are seen as an affront or an insult that will warrant or unleash a kind of response that I got from the Presidency. That is very undemocratic and very unlike Bola Tinubu,” he said.
The Governor urged President Bola Tinubu to implement some of his policies using persuasion instead of force, saying “that I am not against the reform but calling for a wider consultation and elimination of some areas in the bill.”
“He does not have that right. He has to listen to Nigerians when they have apprehension,” he added.
and then