NEF Rejects Tax Reform Bill, Labels It a Threat to National Unity

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has strongly opposed the Tax Reform Bill, describing it as a policy conceived in bad faith that threatens national cohesion.

In a communiqué issued after its Board of Trustees meeting on Saturday, Professor Ango Abdullahi, the group’s Convener, criticized the bill’s implementation process, arguing that it excluded key stakeholders, including the National Economic Council (NEC). NEF warned that such “dubious policies” could undermine the North’s economic potential and praised the Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Northern Nigeria Council of Traditional Rulers for their opposition to the bill.

The forum commended the stance of these Northern institutions as “patriotic” and urged Northern politicians in the National Assembly to speak out. According to NEF, the bill, in its current form, is “poorly packaged” and represents a direct threat to Nigeria’s unity and cohesion.

The communiqué highlighted the exclusion of critical inputs, stating, “The brazen and suspicious manner in which the Tax Reform Bill was imposed, bypassing the National Economic Council, exposes the sinister intentions behind the bill.”

NEF also condemned the perceived silence of many elected Northern politicians on the issue, warning that the era of passive acceptance of policies detrimental to the region’s interests is over. The forum urged Northerners to remain vigilant in protecting their rights, especially during elections, and cautioned against manipulation by leaders with questionable intentions.