…Mum On Tinubu’s Tax Reform Bills
The 36 state governors met with the leadership of the House of Representatives in Abuja late Wednesday night to discuss gray areas slated for the upcoming constitution review.
The House of Representatives team, led by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, disclosed that no fewer than 161 clauses have been identified for possible review.
The meeting, however, did not discuss the Tax Reform Bills which have continued to generate controversy across the country.
According to the Speaker Kalu, discussions at the meeting, which dragged till the wee hours of Thursday, centred on how to strengthen the Nigerian constitution for the benefit of the people.
Although Kalu did not specify the 161 areas in the constitution identified for review, he said the governors gave their commitment to work collectively with federal lawmakers on the exercise.
Besides the state governors, the Reps team said it will also engage with diverse geoups including the Nigeria Guild of Editors, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures, chairmen of the 18 political parties, and civil society organisations, among others.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the meeting, the Deputy Speaker, who chairs the Committee on the Review of the Constitution, said the meeting did not discuss the Tax Reform Bills submitted to the legislature by President Bola Tinubu’s a few weeks ago.
The Tax Bills have continued to generate heated controversy among stakeholders on the desirability or otherwise of the bills.
Recall that the 36 governors who are members of the National Economic Council (NEC), had, a few weeks ago, rejected the tax bills and had called on President Tinubu to withdraw them from the National Assembly.
However, the President has stuck to his guns, asking those opposed to the bills to wait till the public hearing stage to engage with the National Assembly and argue their positions.
Kalu said, “They were not particularly focused on the tax reform bills. They only informed us that it is before the Parliament. We will critically review it and align it with the wishes of the people we represent.
“We have had a robust discussion, and I must say the governors made valuable contributions and are in support of the constitution review.
“We also informed them that we are going to visit their states and geopolitical zones to advance public opinion in their various regions regarding the thematic areas of the constitution we are reviewing.
“We told them that we have received about 161 areas for amendment in the constitution and that we will provide a breakdown of all of them in the coming engagement.”
Kalu added that the meeting agreed on the establishment of a liaison desk between the National Assembly and the 36 governors, under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).
He said, “With this, it will be easier for the 36 Houses of Assembly to fulfill their responsibilities regarding the constitutional provisions and their role in voting on them.”
The governors on their part, described their discussions with the lawmakers as fruitful.
The Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani who was delegated to speak on behalf of his colleagues, said in addition to discussing constitutional matters, the meeting also addressed other pressing issues affecting the country.
He said the Governors Forum, led by the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazak emphasised the importance of utilizing data and technology to improve education management systems.
Governor Sani said the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa was invited to the meeting to address some critical issues concerning education in the country.
Sani corroborated the House Speaker on issues the latter highlighted while briefing journalists earlier.
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Governors, Reps, Parley On Constitution Review is first published on The Whistler Newspaper